At the annual session of the MW Grand Lodge of Minnesota AF&AM the following motion was overwhelmingly passed:
Whereas the Grand Lodge of West Virginia has arbitrarily and recklessly ignored the will of their brethren, expelling a Past Grand Master without trial or redress, violating the ancient and accepted customs and tenets of our Fraternity and bring shame and disrepute on all Masons and Freemasonry, and
Whereas they have been named in a civil suit further bringing the Craft into public disrepute and score,
Therefore be it resolved that the Grand Lodge of Minnesota expresses its concern over these actions and will consider suspending recognition of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia upon the recommendation of our External Relations Committee at our next Annual Communication in 2010 if there is not correction of these actions and a renewed willingness by the Grand Lodge of West Virginia to enter into the modern fraternity of Freemasonry."
“The ebb and flow of will is like the movements of the tides... if we cease our vain struggles and lamentations long enough to look away from the personal self...we realize life is going well with us after all.”
Brethren
I have seen the few posts lamenting and ridiculing. We all know those that frequent here who are not with us. We see them gloating. Brethren we must be men enough to admit that they won. The collective voice of Grand Lodge made it clear that there is no desire for change in West Virginia. We must respect that. We need not agree with it.
I do not feel anger. I feel sorrow. I feel as if we failed here. We had high hopes of enlightening the masses. We hoped to reach in and set their inner flame afire! It was not to be. The brethren must reach for this goal themselves. I hope someday that they do.
Finally there is a greater Masonic world that can be explored. Start with the Rites. Join one or both. Both publish a magazine that will give you a glimpse of what is going on in the Masonic World. Make the effort to visit out of state lodges. There you will see that Masonry is alive and vibrant. They will welcome you and you will have an enjoyable time. Read, become educated, learn all there is to learn about Masonry. It is a broad topic and will be a lifetime learning experience.
As for the Masonic Crusade.... we will watch for a time... and pray.
Those of us laboring here thought that the brethren of West Virginia might like to see some news and events going on in the rest of the Masonic world. There are many positive events and Masonry is alive. In the coming weeks we will be posting as much as possible. Please let us know what you'd like to see and read about. Of course if any of the things you read about here interest you, contact Grand Lodge and tell them.
Esteemed Brethren of West
Virginia, and around the world,
Thank you for taking the time to read this
communication. You are being contacted as a true and
faithful brother, who is concerned about the current
state, and future of Freemasonry in West Virginia.
If you are not a brother who is such, simply respond
to this email with the word "un-subscribe" in the subject. If you
find
this of value, please forward these communications to
like concerned brothers, and ask them to subscribe.
Think back to the second I.M. Hiram letter. In it I responded to then Grand
Master Coleman's angry letter to me, ordering me to stop "or else." I
was perfectly contented to leave things go at one letter. But they fanned the
flames. Had they just ignored the letters and dismissed me as an isolated
oddball, I would have never written another letter. But they didn't. They
fanned the flames. THEY created "The Illegal Masonic Crusade."
Before Coleman's response, I was one man. After his response, I grew. I became
hundreds across the state, the nation, and the world. Requests to be included
on the mailing list came pouring in, and I received scores of letters from
across the state, nation and world encouraging me to do my work.
As time went on, I didn't need to write anymore. All I needed to do was cobble
together your thoughts from your letters, and add my signature to the bottom. I
did this because I never intended to be a one man solution; I did this because
you needed a voice. As soon as you had an outlet, you sent your thoughts. As
soon as I received your thoughts, I sent them to the world, and your thoughts
and ideas gained support. You all became I.M. Hiram, because all of you are
Hiram.
I.M. Hiram was a reflection and amplification of YOUR thoughts, YOUR ideas, and
YOUR words. YOU all supported EACH OTHER. YOU were UNIFIED.
In time, masonic-crusade.com
came into being. One of YOU started it, and many, many of YOU started
writing there. It became a public forum for free, unhindered speech as regards
the trials and tribulations of West Virginia Freemasonry. Some
discussions went on for 50 or more posts. All because YOU created a space for
YOURSELVES to speak, and YOU spoke.
Now as Grand Lodge draws near, I write you my final e-mails. There is little
use for me at this point, you have your voice. But I tell you this: YOU will
make the change this year. YOU decide the future of Freemasonry in West
Virginia this year. If YOU do not speak out and make YOURSELF heard loud, and
unmistakably clear, YOU will have no right to complain about anything the Grand
Lodge does from this point forward. The work you accomplish at this years Grand
Lodge session determines the course of Masonry for the future.
YOU can change things, YOU have the power, YOUR quarter votes are a landslide
waiting to happen,YOU ARE HIRAM.
Time is running out! It is running out for those seeking change. Who carries our BATTLE FLAG? We desperately need to find something to focus our attention on—to focus our energies, our intelligence and sense of fair play and equality. Battle lines are drawn and sides have been chosen. What is the point?
We need constitutional change. We need a constitutional convention to discuss a new constitution, a new direction! We have a right, as a Mason, with our high ideals to expect the ultimate in leadership, the best possible choice from the craft, to be able to eliminate politics from our ranks and demand selfless men to lead us into the future.
“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” Thomas Jefferson
Brethren we are very quickly approaching Grand Lodge. There have been calls for agendas and ideas of what should and should not be done. I urge caution in this discussion. While the eyes of the world will be watching then, the eyes of Grand Lodge are watching here now. Do not fall into the trap of discussing what the agenda should be. They WILL use that against us. We will be told that things discussed here are illegal and ultimately not allowed on the floor. Don’t allow that to happen.
What can you do? First and foremost go to Grand Lodge. Even if you are not a Past Master and cannot vote or speak, you have the right to attend. A packed hall in Charleston will send a clear message that we care. Second, if you are a Master or Past Master, vote your conscience. Don’t allow anyone to take that RIGHT away from you. Freedom of expression is your right. Finally pay attention, ask questions if you are not clear what is being discussed. Be polite. Be firm. Be brave and be a man.
Remember where you were first made a Mason. No one, not even Charlie Montgomery can take that away from you.
Brethren, as I have
watched the devastation that Ike has wrought on Texas, it occurred to me that
there is an lesson in Ike for us to see. We have seen the damage wrought by
unrestrained power and even the loss of life (in the Masonic sense). During all
this there is a quiet time that we are in now and I would liken it to the eye
of the hurricane. It is a time of quiet, stillness and yet the foreboding of
things yet to come. It almost seems normal in an eerie sense. (More)
Word is out today thatJudge Berger denied every point of the defendants' motion
to dismiss.This means the Court Case will go on.... Brethren we will have our day in court!
It is interesting to note that GL's attorneys seems to indicate that we will all be given a chance to vote on and affirm or deny the decisions of the Grand Master, Grievance and Appeals and the Jurisprudence Committees. Am I the only one that is a little pessimistic about that? Given our supremely unfair system of allowing the Grand Master to call the voice vote and NOT allow a paper ballot, I will go out on a limb and say the brethren will overwhelmingly be in favor of his actions and the committee reports. Anyone want to make a wager on the votes? (More)
The MW PHGL of West Virginia has entered a Friend of the Court brief supporting MWPGM Haas and his position. This is a historic event that clearly show our Prince Hall Brethren recognize the importance of what is happening in West Virginia. The MWPHGL Grand Master is clearly a man of vision like PGM Haas and I am proud to call them both Brother! Brethren if you have not before, now is the time to reach out with the grip of brotherly love and right a wrong.
We welcome a second post from our Brother Roger That
There is mass confusion among the leadership of Freemasonry in WV of their responsibilities to the craft. This confusion is in allowing them to be drawn into the realm of the four great apples of discord, namely, nationalism, politics, religion, and women. By eliminating the discords of nationalism, politics, religion, and women, the Ancient Craftsmen, which we claim to be part of, achieved a degree of peace and harmony which was remarkable in an organization which was governed largely by its own law and without the coercive restraint of the State. Peace and Harmony was not their objective; they were only necessary prerequisites. The Old Charges of our ancient brethren and reflection upon them in the light of political, social, and economic conditions of their time, we are compelled of the conclusion that the primary purpose of the operative Mason was excellence, originally excellence in the stone mason’s craft, excellence in their understanding of the Universe, excellence in their relations with fellow men, and excellence in their devotions to God. This goal of excellence has had everything to do with the rise of Speculative Freemasonry. From the minute books and records of the London Company of Masons, we have indisputable evidence of how the Speculatives were enrolled as “Accepted” Masons to distinguish them from the operative Freemasons, thus the craft came to be called Free and Accepted Masons. (More)
