IM Hiram's latest email - "Your Work"
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.
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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.
11/10/2008, 22:40
Brother I.M. Hiram,
I must again thank you for the inspiration you have given me. You made me realize how wrong it is for the masons in West Virginia to submit to this type of radical behavior from our supposed leadership. One of the best ways to tell a weak leader is that they motivate by force, they intimidate, threaten, and issue ultimatums. We have seen this behavior used time and time again over the past 2 years. I hope it stops this year!!!
I know you speak the truth as some of the thoughts in my e-mails to you made it in your letters.
Extremism in society or a fraternity is a very dangerous thing. We all know what happens to society with no religion and a society with radical religious views. Violence is the end result of both. As this Grand lodge hopefully purges itself of the current radical thought and cooler heads prevail, it is my hope that peace and harmony will once again be restored. It is my hope that they begin once again, to imitate that great luminary we call the Sun and understand the wisdom of Mother Nature and Geometry. You see the sun is at its most effective and life giving position halfway between the extremes of rising and setting. It is at this point she gives us here best, thus one of the reasons we represent that position in the most important step in our Masonic lives.
It has been said that those who post on this site are “terrorists”, to them I say,
“We love peace, but not peace at any price. There is a peace more destructive of the manhood of living man, than war is destructive to his body. Chains are worse than bayonets”
14/10/2008, 23:18
Any news?
15/10/2008, 06:29
We Lost.
15/10/2008, 12:51
The good brethren of West Virginia,and of the world lost. We all lost because a dangerous precedence was set- anyone can be expelled for any reason, even fabricated reasons that damage the professional credibility of the expelled. This has world wide implications.
I hope and pray for the success of Frank Haas's law suit.
15/10/2008, 13:22
Like anyone thought the craft would follow their conscience at the Grand Lodge Communication?
The gullability of Masons.
Teach you to have Faith and Hope in your "brothers".
Status Quo
The perpetual wheel of typical american masonry continues on its course unimpeded.
KUDOS to you WV!
Stay the course
15/10/2008, 13:55
It seemed to me to be about a 40%-60% split on all the key items. Explanations of most things needed to be drug out of them, but all in all things stayed fairly civil and respectful. The majority of men in WV like what they have I guess. I do think the fear instilled in the southern portion of WV with the race issue hurt, but right, wrong, good, bad, moral, or immoral the majority ruled.
15/10/2008, 14:23
I can't begin to express the embarrasment I have for WV Freemasonry in the vote the sitting Masters made by giving a GM the authority to expell a Brother without a Masonic Trial. How unfair to any "future" Mason in WV. I guess Brother Saunders said it best, 'the majority of men in WV like what they have I guess.' I guess he is right!
15/10/2008, 18:25
WV Masons lost because they checked their balls at the door. everyone of you that did not go or did not vote because of fesr of being expelled should just go have a physical castraton performed now. I'm ashamed & embarrassed to know that so many of you hid. DO NOT COMPLAIN..YOU LOST THAT RIGHT
15/10/2008, 22:03
Fortunately, this Grand Lodge session was not the last court of appeal. Even any decision by the civil court will be ultimately succeeded by the general court of history.
Rather than by any temporal frustration or hard feelings, in Ancient Craft FreeMasonry practices are measured against the Landmarks which are not subject to the whims of any highly titled individual, or even the general consensus of the members present at a particular meeting. If you all got together and voted to exclude men with mustaches, the mustache wearers desirous of membership in our mutual fraternity would eventually win out.
Today, I have two questions if you don't mind indulging me. In your jurisdiction, aside from elected Grand Line Officers, does anyone else besides the sitting Master's and Warden's of the constituent lodges or their proxies vote on these matters? What would the result have been if others, who represent no one but themselves were omitted from the vote. In my mind, if your voting Congress was limited to those who only represent lodges, better clarity would result.
Also, if a Masonic trial before discipline is no longer a right for Masons in your state, what right(s) or benefit(s) are you giving your candidates, if any, once their knock is answered at the preparation room door?
Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon - Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 - Crete, Illinois
PM - Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 - Lansing, Illinois
16/10/2008, 06:38
good loyal subjects will always be repaid.
that is what WV masonry makes, Loyal Subjects, not Free Masons!
Stop trying to view this from a Universal/Wordly view, it is strictly a West Virginia thing, and they enjoy the environment they have created, isolated from the Evolving and Progressing world around them.
Good bye my brothers as the rest of the Craft sail onwards.......
16/10/2008, 08:49
Truly WV is the North Korea of American Masonry.
How very sad.
16/10/2008, 12:53
I don't know the new GM, Jerry Lewis. Don't know a thing about him. The winds of Masonry move slowly, and new GMs generally like to take a few weeks to settle into the job before they start issuing orders and edicts.
MWBro. Lewis, you have the chance to set things right. You, and you alone, have the power to, with the stroke of a pen, lift the humiliating burkha of shame that is cast over WV Masonry right now. Your predecessor's decisions are not your decisions. You are your own man.
Grand Masters can accomplish so much more with whispered counsel than with a gavel or a pen. Pissing wars only get fellows wet and mad. Hurling thunderbolts from the Grand East always has collateral damage to lodges, the grand lodge, and the fraternity as a whole.
Grand Master, do the right thing for the fraternity. The internet won't let actions (or inactions) go unnoticed, and the longer this goes on, the bigger the stain is that smears WV. Our dirty laundry isn't just aired in our back yard, it's international now. We look childish. We're behaving foolishly. We sure aren't living up to the promise and the goals of the fraternity. And the question I hear from Masons when I travel is "What the hell is wrong with West Virginia?"
Don't go on hiding in silence behind the closed office doors of Grand Lodge, thinking that stonewalling is the answer. Make the first action of your office a healing one. West Virginia Masons, the silent ones who had no voice Monday, need wisdom from their Grand Master. The rest of the Masonic world is watching.
16/10/2008, 15:22
I was a new mason at grand lodge and thought I could reqally change things for the best in wv. I was quite dissapointed when I stood to vote no to the report of pgm cm and I looked around the room and saw brothers who had told me they were on the side of change but they did not stand for fear of being seen voting no. We have to stand united or we will never see change.please brothern stand proud and pray for change
16/10/2008, 15:23
I wonder what the Worshipful Masters would say if our Congress & Senate passed a bill that would take away our "right" to vote? How about take away our "right" to free speech? What if the penalty would be "death" to anyone violating the free speech "right" that would be taken away? I would bet that they would be the first people to protest and complain. This is basically what they "voted" to do when they gave the GM to "right" to expel a Mason without a Masonic Trial! The expelled Brother would have no recourse. This Brother would be given the "death sentence" in Masonry by the GM because he could do nothing about it. I doubt if Jerry Lewis has the guts to use his pen to remove the laws passed by the past GL Session like his predecessor did to MWB Haas. At least that is what has been explained to me by some who are familiar with those in the Grand Line now. How sincerely sad for my Brethren in WV. I hope the upcoming court case can have some influence over this grave error.
16/10/2008, 23:03
Many at GL did not either know or understand the issues being voted on. No agenda was provided before the meeting. Crucial information was either witheld or distorted by the GM and his cronies. The GL of WV is a mutual admiration society comprised of men of little or no consequence in the real world. None of them have very much education and they have not seen much of the world. Their fagile sense of self-worth is easily threatened and they find it easier to put down others than to expend the effort it takes to do something of merit. History will no doubt judge them as petty, little, men without courage, intelligence, or vision. By keeping things personal they have managed to steer us away from the real issues like racism and discrimination against our brave disabled veterans. The fight for basic human rights and dignity will always prevail in the long run and we must keep fighting the "good" fight.
16/10/2008, 23:43
Keep fighting? For what? I don't need the stress. The majority spoke, they don't want change. Let them have their way. They want a place that they can hide from the real world, a place that is small minded, ignorant and fearful. It's a volunteer organization that is supposed to make good men better. Well, I'm a better man now, and now I'm leaving. I don't owe those bastards anything. It's a volunteer organization that needs my money more than I need their bullshit. Screw them. I hope Haas rakes them over the coals. And I hope Bosley and Blankenship do the same. I hope the grand lodge coffers are emptied defending their small mindedness...bankruptcy and the wholesale closing of lodges around the state, leave them sitting on their empty rotting empire ordering around the ghosts of good men.
The only way I will stay a mason in this state is if several of the highly offended lodges break off and form a new grand lodge. Why hasn't Wellsburg done that? Who gives a shit about recognition? What does that mean? So what I can't visit a lodge. I'm a West Virginia Mason, who the hell wants me to visit them. No one outside West Virginia respects us. If we break away we cant visit lodges...no, but we'll sell out our happiness to a group of a-holes from Charleston just so we can go visit a lodge in another state every once in a while and get jealous of the real masonry they have. The only lodges I want to visit in this state are the ones that agree with my mindset. Why don't all the "minority ruled" lodges just break off and form their own grand lodge?
Speaking of grand lodges, where the hell have the other 49 grand lodges of the US been in all this? They know what is going on. Some of them have said they don't like it. Why didn't they step into help? Will they now?
This is not just about Haas , Bosley and Blankenship, it's about a legacy of power abuse, racism and discrimination.
Once again the grand lodge is a volunteer organization that NEEDS our MONEY more than we need their bullshit.
17/10/2008, 00:17
While I'm up I may as well fire off another one.
Missing digits - A Gulf war 1 vet with no thumb and forefinger on his right hand has two degrees, one in electrical and the other in mechanical engineering - he has no "priveledge" to become a mason in WV?
Whoopty DING DONG! Is that all the grand lodge / PGM old guard have going for them - they have ten fingers? You're not special, you're JUST LIKE 95% of the human race, the only difference is you think it makes you better. Internal and not the external, my ass.
I'm convinced these people have NOTHING going for them so they have to default to the basics - 10 fingers, 10 toes.
17/10/2008, 00:21
Baldness is caused by an excess of estrogen,the female hormone.
Any bald guys in grand lodge? Isn't that a bit odd? Men with lots of estrogen? Can they be masons these "estromen."
17/10/2008, 03:34
Does West Virginia permit Dual or Plural Memberships?
Illinois uses an Invitation to Petition Program for candidiates; and, I would think it a natural extention for a lodge here to develop an Invitation to Affiliation concept. If an individual West Virginian Master Mason wished to demit from his lodge and yet remain a member of a "regular" lodge for good standing status and visitation, I would imagine that there would be no objection to affiliating with my Illinois lodge.
Later, the Brother could again demit when the light back home grows a little brighter and/or a more suitable lodge could be found closer to home where attendence would be easier.
Affiliation Petition fees at my lodge are $20 and dues $35 a year. Illinois also offers Life Memberships at $525 per year.
Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon - Auburn park Lodge No. 789 - Crete, Illinois
PM - Arcadia Lodge No. 1138
17/10/2008, 03:55
Just a thought from W. Bro. Ben Franklin – Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1733
Two beggars traveling along,
One Blind, the other Lame.
Pick’d up an oyster on the way,
To which they both laid claim;
The matter rose so high, that they
Resolv’d to go to Law,
As often richer fools have done,
Who quarreled for a straw.
A lawyer took it straight in hand,
Who knew his business was
To mind nor one t’other side,
But make the best case o’ th’ cause,
As always in the law’s the case;
So he his judgment gave,
And lawyer-like he thus resolv’d
What each of them should have;
Blind plaintiff, lame defendant, share
The friendly law’s impartial care,
A shell for him, a shell for thee
The middle is the lawyer’s fee.
Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 – Crete, Illinois
PM – Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois
17/10/2008, 09:09
Torence wrote:
Does West Virginia permit Dual or Plural Memberships?
No.
17/10/2008, 10:19
Join the MW Prince GL of WV.
17/10/2008, 10:51
Sorry Brothers is absolutely right. Consider voting with your feet and joining the MW Prince Hall GL of WV. That will have a noticeable impact in many ways.
The downside, of course, is that since GLWV doesn't recognize PHGLWV (bleah), neither will the other 40 "mainstream" GLs that recognize PH, so your visitations in other states will be limited to other PH GLs.
(I'm not in WV, so obviously my talk is cheap, but I'm pretty sure that's what I'd do if this happened in my GL.)
17/10/2008, 11:31
What does the PHGL of WV have to say about disabled vets as members?
17/10/2008, 18:01
Hello, I am a Prince Hall Mason from Florida. As far as I know, even though you are supposed to have all of your limbs intact, it is up to the discretion of the Grand Master and/or the Deputy of that district if they will make an exception. There have been exceptions made. In my district, there was an individual who was recently raised who had ONE ARM. The Grand Master and the Deputy of that district approved his membership, so it can be done.
17/10/2008, 18:20
Thank you for the information.
17/10/2008, 20:02
Am I the only one who perceives the irony of Master Masons choosing to join a PH GL in order to find more light?
Fraternally
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 Crete, Illinois
PM –Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois
17/10/2008, 20:46
Yeah, pretty much. Enlighten me.
18/10/2008, 08:58
Such a Grand Lodge, where there are two in the state, thusly stripped of its most intelligent, responsible, resonably and thoughfully minded material would then be considered (relative to the other) by the rest of the Masonic community as the Grand Lodge of Darkness.
18/10/2008, 19:08
Hey,
After thinking about this whole mess, I have come to the conclusion that the only real way out for WV brethren would be the following: If guys in WV are so dissatisfied with the GL and pure tyranny has taken over resulting in an irreparable state of chaos (which seems to be the case), then WV masons should demit in mass numbers and cross over to Prince Hall. They wouldn't have to do the degrees over again, they would be healed over. Also, they would no longer have to answer to the grand lodge of WV.
It would be a good thing financially for the PH GL in WV in terms of membership gain. At the same time, it would send a devastating blow to the GL of WV. Reminds me of that old biblical proverb..."He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind"
The GL of WV needs to inherit the wind.
PEACE
TB
18/10/2008, 22:14
Or hang in there until the next Grand Lodge session and elect a new Grand Master who would invoke this new precedent and expell the Jr. PGM., who, of course, is GM now. Then, he can be succeeded by another who will do the same. Eventually everyone would get to be GM, all though breifly, until all are expelled.
19/10/2008, 13:16
Brethren,
I know that it may be easy to cast jokes towards the GL, and WV Masonry in general. We are all upset at the way things went down at GL this year. We are either wrong, and there are far too few of us, or the example made out of the three expelled brethren scared the rest into not voting the way they truly feel. I belive that the latter is correct. Who wants their name put on a list because they voted the wrong way in a non-secret ballot? I know that I wouldn't want my name on that list, no matter what I thought was right or wrong. There has to come a time when the members of the GL stand up and say enough is enough and we oppose this tyranny despite what the penalties are. That time was not this year, but lets not make the expulsions of these brothers be in vain, let us continue the March onward and let our voices be heard as we change things for a future generation to enjoy what we are fighting so hard to fix. "Don't give up, don't ever give up" jimmy V
19/10/2008, 13:16
Or Demit to a Lodge in a surrounding State; OH, PA, KY, VA or MD. It would require a little travel for some but the majority could find a home until the present GL "goes under" from the financial impact of the law suit. Any of you, except those in the present Grand Line, would be most welcome to my Lodge in Ohio. I'm sure there many other Lodges who feel the same. You ARE our Brothers in "destitute circumstances" so to speak. When the present GL folds you could go back and form a new GL with Masons who are interested in the good of the fraternity, rather than the good of a few. Just a thought from a PM in Ohio.
19/10/2008, 15:55
Brother Gates,
If you can stay and fight, I give you respect. I'm tired of the fight. I've fought, I've conversed with brothers till blue in the face - there are too many fearful brothers, and the control at the top is too corrupt. That's where the problem is. If all the brethren in the state voted for a progressive measure, the few fools in the chairs and their old guard cronies will just overturn it. This grand lodge system is corrupt, and doesn't practice anything close to what other states do in the way of true masonry. Once again, they need my money more than I need their bullshit. I will not help fund their defense fund. Let the grand lodge rot, let advance through the stages of putrifaction, and in due time let a new generation raise it with the blessings of other Grander Lodges.
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Brother Ohio Mason,
isn't there a residency requirement in your state? How does your state view brothers missing digits and Prince Hall Masonry?
Thank you for the offer.
19/10/2008, 19:28
To the Brother asking about residency requirements; the old requirement was 1-year but that "may" have changed this past week at our GL Session. It was to have come up for a vote but I don't know the outcome because I wasn't able to go this year. As far as missing "digits" that isn't a big deal...only in WV as far as I know, maybe some other jurisdictions, but not to my knowledge. Prince Hall Masonry is recognized in Ohio and they make an appearance at our Grand Lodge. There is no reason what-so-ever that they should not be recognized either! I know some very good Brothers who are PH Masons. I hope that answers your questions. I also hope you all can bring this mess to a close soon too. It is not only hard on WV, it is hard on others and the discontent is rampant. This is not good!
Keep the faith in our Fraternity!
19/10/2008, 21:19
In Illinois, residency is only an issue for those petitioning for degrees. Master Masons in good standing are free to affiliate with any lodge that will have them. Some eighty years ago, Illinois gave up on the perfect man notion and changed the requirements to being able to physically conform to the degrees. Only moral and mental qualifications are considered; but again, that is for candidates for the degrees, not Master Masons wishing to affiliate. Illinois recognizes PH Masonry for visitation and since 1998 each of our Grand Masters and their Grand Masters have been named Honorary Past Grand Masters in each of the two lodge systems.
20/10/2008, 03:36
you want to really put a hem in their skirts, form grand orient lodges and experience universal freemasonry
The Grand Orient of the United States of America (GOUSA) is a continuation of the cosmopolitan Masonic traditions practiced by brothers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette. Our lineage can be traced back through the Grand Orient of France to the original speculative Grand Lodge of London that was established in 1717. These traditions and ideas are at the very core of Enlightenment thinking that eventually resulted in the freedoms enjoyed by every American today.
We hold true to these beliefs:
That all human beings are endowed with certain inalienable rights
That peace and harmony among human beings is only possible where there exists a separation between church and state
That freedom of conscience is an essential element in the pursuit of happiness among all peoples
That all human beings are created equal and that equality is fundamental to democracy and freedom
What is today the Grand Orient of the United States of America began on December 27th, 2005. Several lodges declared their independence from the Anglo-American Masonic system and formed a confederation of sovereign lodges under the banner of "United Grand Lodge of America". In so doing, they sought to restore the original Free-Masonry practiced by the founding fathers to the American continent, and return to the traditional Enlightenment and cosmopolitan ideals expressed in the earlier Masonic lodges. This event allowed the original streams of Masonic thought still existing in Europe to once again flow freely into American lodges.
In November of 2007, several more lodges declared their independence from the Anglo-American Masonic system and the Council of the Order was convened to formalize our relationship with our brethren in France and throughout Europe. The Council voted unanimously to change the name of the United Grand Lodge of America to the Grand Orient of the United States of America to better, and more precisely, identify it with the existing currents of 'Modern' Free-Masonry throughout the world.
On June 27th, 2008 the Grand Orients of France and the United States signed a Treaty of Amity fully recognizing one another as sovereign Masonic powers.
The Grand Orient of the United States of America is a masculine Masonic fraternity that works together with mixed-gender and female Masonic organizations throughout the United States and Europe. Together, these systems represent the most progressive form of Free-Masonry in America where all people regardless of race, creed, or gender can meet together as equals.
Our aim is the brotherhood of all humanity through a universal chain of union extending around the globe. If you are already with us in spirit then you are welcome to join with us in Masonic lodges throughout the world.
http://www.grandorientusa.org/home.htm
20/10/2008, 08:25
I have read much of what you have written in the past two years, and I am very impressed with your hard work, honesty, and willingness to step up and fight for what is right. The problem is we are facing a problem that is going to rewrite history in one way or another, and I do not want to go down as one who gave up after so short of a time. What if Adams and Washington gave up on the revolution when they encountered their first real obstacle on the rode to freedom? This was the first real obstacle that has taken place during our fight. What did you truly believe would happen this year? Deep down did you think we would come out of there October 14th and the whole mess would be behind us? If you did, you have more faith than me. We have no reason to completely give up. We all knew that this year is going to be just as bad or worse than last year, considering who the new GM is. It didn't just stay status quo, it gave us a glimpse into how our enemy is going to act, and what our next form of action should be. Stand tall brother, those that care know what you have done, and hope you will take a rest then join us again on the road to progression.
B.F. Gates
20/10/2008, 16:24
Brethren
I agree with Bro. Adam, we must think long and hard about the message that was delivered at Grand Lodge. It is apparent that there are MANY on both sides. I pray for a leader to step forward and heal our gentle craft. Sadly we will lose many good brothers if we continue to pursue our present path.
A Mason
20/10/2008, 16:59
I wonder if there's any chance that other Grand Lodges might admit our wrongly expelled brothers?
21/10/2008, 14:42
WV GL rules require you to obtain a demit from your lodge before you can petetion another lodge for affiliation. Since many Grand Lodges permit memberships in multiple lodges, they may not particularily care if you have a demit or not. If you obtain a demit, you should know that after 1 year passes, you no longer have visiting rights or the right to a Masonic funeral or Masonic charity unless you have affiliated with a lodge somewhere.
22/10/2008, 14:02
Another statement about Demitting; in Ohio, and I'd bet also in WV, you must be "in good standing" in order to Demit from a Lodge. However, being a current officer in my Lodge in Ohio, "ANY" of the current expelled Brothers in WV would have NO DIFFICULTY in successfully petitioning my Lodge! It would be "helpful" if they had residence in Ohio, but I bet we could "overcome" that requirement. That is how much we think of those who were expelled from the Craft!!!
23/10/2008, 16:56
Brothern, It is possable to demit to Ohio. You first have to apply and have in your hand a demit from your home lodge and be in good standing.(have your dues current). Next apply to the GL of Ohio for a waiver on their residentsy. Next apply to the Ohio lodge of your choice. The lodge secretaty will take it from there. This may take some time, but it is worth the wait. I decided to take my money and support elsewhere, and this is the process I used. I am very happy across the river, but I do miss the Brethern in WV. The WV GL will never change the way it is set up. It will be a good ol boys club until they turn out the lights from lack of money to pay the bills. Thanks for listening.signed: I R fed Up
23/10/2008, 18:27
Thanks for the info I R.
25/10/2008, 09:14
Is anyone familiar with similar procedures to transfer out of state to Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, or Kentucky?
While remaining a legal resident of West Virgiia.
Also, if anyone is considering affiliating with WV Prince Hall, what the administrative requirements would be to do so?
I think we should have this information available on here if anyone reflects and "searches themselves" reaches the conclusion it is time to vote with their feet.
25/10/2008, 09:53
How do those surrounding states see the situation in WV?
25/10/2008, 14:47
To all Masonic brethren in the United States of America,
I am writing a statement that is my own personal opinion. It does not officially represent the position of any Grand Lodge, Subordinate Lodge, or any other Masonic related body. It is my OWN opinion. That being said, I will move on to the purpose of this statement!
Recent events in the Grand Lodge of West Virginia have not only been troubling, but have become of great concern to me on a personal level due to the flagrant violation of the Masonic Code of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia as well as the ancient customary rules of our laudable order. If an elected Grand Master cannot obey his EA obligation by subduing his passions, then expecting him to act in the best interest of the Grand Lodge he has promised to serve to the utmost of his ability will not happen either. I have found no precedent in Masonic law for the expulsion of any Freemason without trial. Yet, this is exactly what has happened. It is not only wrong, it is an outright travesty of the principles and ideals we as Freemasons hold dear!
I find it odd that when the Nazi party was able to take over in Germany so many years ago, it started with a gradual erosion of rights and privileges of the citizens. In Freemasonry, we have all promised to a degree to that which is right, and to overthrow tyrants if needed. It is disgraceful that the tyrant in question would be a Grand Master who wears a hood and sheet along with his Masonic apron. To have outright racist opinions rule and govern a Grand Lodge is scary since that is not a qualification nor precursor to Masonic membership as we all know. Truthfully, I felt progress had been made to get beyond these petty, racist opinions.
I will ask that ALL of you remember what is truly important. Please keep MW Bro. Frank Haas in your prayers. Yes, I addressed him as Most Worshipful! Despite his current status, he had been elected and served his term as Grand Master. So despite the fact his name has been removed from GL-WV website, it doesn’t change the fact of his service, nor the fact that he has continued to stand for that which is right. It would certainly be nice to see others in West Virginia do the same!
RW Bro. Raymond Sean Walters
Valley Hi Lodge #1407 AF&AM San Antonio, Texas
(Sic semper tyrannis)
25/10/2008, 16:40
Brother, you've got globes larger than the ones in my lodge. Thanks for your support.
26/10/2008, 10:06
RWBro. Walters said,
I have found no precedent in Masonic law for the expulsion of any Freemason without trial.
You may be lucky enough to live in a state where the GM doesn't have the power of edict. But expulsion by GM edict without trial is the norm in the US. The expulsion lasts until the assembled grand lodge communication votes that the expulsion was proper or improper.
Florida, Indiana, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, now West Virginia—just to name a very few—have all recently had high-visibility expulsions with no trials.
Not saying it's right. But it's not unusual.
26/10/2008, 11:31
> Florida, Indiana, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, now West Virginia—just to name a > very few—have all recently had high-visibility expulsions with no trials.
In 2003, I was the object of one of these cases, sued for my right to trial, received it, and was subsequently restored.
The M. W. Grand Lodge of Illinois emphatically does not permit its GMs to expell at whim, without a trial, except in the cases of a felonious criminal conviction and even those situations can be made a subject for a review.
In Ancient Craft Freemasonry, a Masonic trial is a right that is granted each time a candidate's knock is answered at the preparation room door. Without it, the organization becomes something other than Ancient Craft FreeMasonry, common place ordinary club or some diritive, civic organization.
26/10/2008, 16:44
>Also, if anyone is
>considering affiliating
>with WV Prince Hall,
>what the administrative
>requirements would be to
>do so?
In order to go to Prince Hall, you have to ask a Prince Hall mason for a petition to the local PHA lodge. You must also express your desire to be "healed over". Since you are already a master mason but part of a group that the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in that state does not recognize, you will have to be "healed over"
Getting healed over involves primarily paying the required fees, and then going before an open lodge and re-obligating yourself. Usually, you wouldn't have to do any of the degree work. Thats how PHA grand lodges have dealt with others who joined clandestine lodges , realized that they made a mistake and want to go to PHA.
In fact, the PHA Grand Lodge of NY over a year ago had an "Occassional Lodge" where the purpose was to have this mass healing over ceremony for others that joined clandestine lodges. From what I heard, it was pretty successsful.
So if the WV brothers are interested in this option, you should try to find PHA contacts in your state and inquire about it. Hope thus Helps.
Could you imagine the impact if ENTIRE blue lodges in WV changed their affiliations to PHA. That would be a huge masonic bitch-slap to the Grand Lodge of WV.
TB
26/10/2008, 17:10
It takes some sack that many don't have to speak to truth to power. Personally I think it will be just more of the same with a brave few doing what is right and the rest going along to get along. Then there is the silent group that just walks away and the Fraternity is thereby more poor.
29/10/2008, 16:47
its like he been reading our mail.
isnt it funny how as the population grows and grows, it seams we have less and less natural, charismatic leaders to choose from. i wonder if our founding fathers would today be only nameless faces in a crowd. i guess back then ordinary men arose to perform extraordinary feets. what we need today is a bunch of ordinary men? S.
29/10/2008, 17:24
Charisma and ability have been turned in (in most jurisdictions) for promotion of the status quo in which nice gold chains and bad dinners pretending to be fancy are given to the "best" of us. A few Grand Lodges are doing their best to break this chain. Unfortunately many others do nothing but perpetuate the same failing system of patronage. All that stay help perpetuate this system of patronage in which change is impossible.
The beatings will continue until morale improves or the lesson is learned.
01/11/2008, 13:03
brother(?) sorry, you make it sound like we should all just pack it in. i believe it was brother Adam K that said 'vote with our feet'
01/11/2008, 14:46
A great majority of the brethren are already voting with their feet in a lesser way - they only attend Chapter, Commandry,Scottish Rite and Shrine etc. They attend those meetings because they get to DO something for themselves and the community BUT they don't get hen pecked and intimiadated by the purple apron brigade.
I'd go that route, but to me, those organizations are just social clubs. I can get the same thing by going to the VFW - and there my only real concerns are paying my tab and my dues.
My concern is with Blue Lodge Freemasonry. It is a very vital part of my life and I want to practice Masonry the way Franklin, Washington LaFayette etc. did, the way we're supposed to, where we govern ourselves first by the lessons we learn in lodge and second by laws.
04/11/2008, 23:09
I know you read this site, (which is illegal to do by your laws)I wanted to let you know that I voted for a Black man for President of the United States of America, and as of January 20,HE runs the country you live in. May the GAOTU bless him and this great country.
04/11/2008, 23:15
Brother Adam
you were not alone in your vote... the people of this country have spoken. I now look forward to the people speaking again when given the opportunity in a court setting.
A Mason
05/11/2008, 01:03
"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today...
...And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!""
05/11/2008, 06:41
Amen.
This is the moment the men of our great fraternity dreamed of when they created this nation.
05/11/2008, 09:48
regardless if anyone's political opinions are left, right, or otherwise; can we do like Lodge and leave political comments at the door?
Hope everyone is having a nice day.
05/11/2008, 12:07
What do our obligations have to do with political comments?
05/11/2008, 21:01
I was actually using the Dr. King's speech as a metaphor for our current state in WV.
As for politics, regardless of your affilition these are historic times. And a marvel at how far we as a nation have come since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's. These are interesting times Brothers.
I would suggest that perhaps a forum is finally in order here so that we are not limited to discussing the most recent blog post. What say you webmaster?
Then if someone starts a thread we don't like we don't have to read it.
05/11/2008, 21:02
I would go on to say that divisive politics have no place anywhere at anytime especially in a lodge setting.
09/11/2008, 16:26
Politics are only divisive to small minded men that cannot take anyone disagreeing with them.
09/12/2008, 07:35
Any info on the action against the GL of WV? This site has gone silent. What's up with that?