WOW! It's the crazy season....

There have been lots of things happening in Freemasonry over the past several months. If you've followed Masonic-related blogs, you know that there's a battle of power in West Virginia that's making the organization look very bad (at best). We're not close enough to that situation to comment at this time.

Following on to the visit by an expelled Mason to Ohio, a lodge there decided to follow the Pied Piper's siren call and they're trying to disassociate themselves (and what they claim is "their" money) from the Grand Lodge of Ohio. In addition, there are more internet scams and shams which would make one think that Freemasonry has run amok when, in reality, regular Freemasonry is seeing a turn-around in application numbers and more interested/involved members each day. You should know by now that not everything you see on the internet is either true or has the astonishing significance that it appears initially. We comment on the recently formed Grand Orient of the United States (which may not be around by this time next year if history is any predictor) here.

Mason continues his Masonic connections!

Updated April, 2008:

The article below tells of trials and travails of the NASCAR circuit including problems involving sponsorship. Bro. Brian Conz continues his dream while keeping Freemasonry foremost in his life as well. You can see his current endeavor to race with a car honoring the Shriners Hospitals on his website at www.brianconz.com

Scottish Rite Sponsors NASCAR - or not???
Blogger whinges!

When it was announced in December, 2006 that the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite would be sponsoring a NASCAR driver in the upcoming season, lots of Masons scratched their heads, confused about the whole thing. One blogger, known for never missing the opportunity to make a disparaging remark about the fraternity, used this story actively to drive visitors to his site, probably in hopes of selling a few bottles of herbal medicines there.

It is undeniable that NASCAR is one of the fastest-growing and most popular 'sports' in the United States today. It attracts the largest audiences of any spectator event and support of race-car drivers at even the local track level provides advertising that reaches all ages. Race car fans, the pinnacle of which is the NASCAR program, DO support the companies that support racing. At the local level, it's your plumber or coffee shop while nationally, it's not only the car and tire manufacturers: it's drug companies, Betty Crocker, and the several branches of the US Armed Forces. Are they all so stupid that they are just doing this for no reason? That's what at least one person would like you to believe.

One Blogger (see footnote at the end of this article) tried desperately to berate the Scottish Rite for getting involved commenting on the beer-drinking and <other non-social behavior things> that the 'good ol' boys' who follow NASCAR engage in. He also commented about the appropriateness of having these men as Masons. We feel that generalizations are nothing but xenophobic racism. NASCAR now boasts that the median average income of its followers exceeds that of all other spectator sports, not something to dismiss lightly. In addition, there are many, many men from all walks of life who find NASCAR fascinating and many of them are upstanding young soldiers serving in the US military services, often in battle zones. (We believe that the Blogger involved has never seen military service of any kind so doesn't know the quality or the interests of those serving! As expected, in a post railing about this entry, he ignores that.)

Those men - those NASCAR fanatics and casual followers - will return to lead upright and patriotic lives as good, solid family men and as leaders of their communities. Perhaps they will also become Masons as so many have done following past military conflicts. Just possibly, that desire may have been sparked by seeing a Scottish Rite NASCAR on Armed Forces Television!

The original plan was for a one-year-long promotion of the car shown above complete with a NASCAR driver who is a Mason and Scottish Rite member, taken around the country in a shiny, brand-new 18-wheeler truck with a picture of the car (purple hood with the Scottish Rite logo) painted on its side. It was hoped that it would be viewed widely at various publicity events held at shopping malls etc. where they always draw crowds, including those who barely know what NASCAR is. Such events always attract wide-eyed teens who otherwise might not have been exposed to Masonic organizations. It was hoped that it would be an opportunity for Scottish Rite Masons to more widely publicize their FREE learning centers for children with dyslexia and related problems.  It was also reported that the (Southern Jurisdiction) Scottish Rite's Rite Care Clinics could receive as much as $400,000 through the promotion which would have cost them NOTHING!

It appeared at the time of our last update that the whole idea had fallen flat but while the blogger was gloating, the Scottish Rite folks apparently learned a lesson or two and realized that while they'd first hitched their wagon to the wrong horse... errr.... car - no, actually, promoter, that they could really be on to something. Beginning with a very low-key announcement and now moving to a separate page on their website (see below), they're involved with the 2007-2008 season despite the prior setbacks.

And as to the original attempt: while it's SO easy to criticize, arguing that the whole idea should have been studied more thoroughly before public announcements were made (and you'll note that in earlier reports we stated that "...this might easily fall on its face...."), when a member of your own organization arrives on your doorstep with what appears to be a golden apple, it's difficult not to take a little nibble. Further, if the opportunity had been turned down (or lost due to time delay), there would have been lots of folks (especially the disgruntled blogger) whining about the intransigence and 'ancient' ways used by Masonic/Scottish Rite leaders unwilling to 'try something new'. Damned if you do and.... Obviously any new venture is a risk and there are MANY other companies and organizations which have involvement with car racing for a time but then demur. Despite the petty attempts to denigrate the NASCAR audience, this seemed a wholesome and productive venture at worst AND it had the potential to help an awful lot more kids even if it didn't produce a single additional Mason or Scottish Rite member. As we've stated all along, "...there will be lots of opportunity to criticize, we're going to take a 'wait and see' attitude on it all recognizing that we don't have all the facts." As the facts continue to roll in, though, it's more clear that things are moving in a very positive direction.

Brother Conz, the originally-envisioned Scottish Rite Mason driver, appears to have moved on. Having watched the experiences of a local guy who fought his way up to the NASCAR circuit, drove for a couple of years having one big win, and then 'lost his ride', we've heard many reports of how drivers can be 'played' by their owners and how, after actually spending time on the circuit, they decide that other ventures are more attractive. We'll write more about the whining of anti-Masonic bloggers later - or maybe not since no one really seems to care about bloggers and their CD collections any more.

UPDATE:

Just as we were going to 'press', the following arrived:

Missouri Scottish Rite and DeMolay Members
Enjoy Visit from Scottish Rite Racing Team
and Driver Blake Feese

Scottish Rite racing was a big hit in St. Louis on May 5, 2007, as everyone was able to get up close and personal with the car at the Scottish Rite building in St. Louis. Several people were able to climb in and sit behind the wheel—while others found that getting in the car was not as easy as it looks on television. Driver Blake Feese signed autographs and thrilled the Scottish Rite and DeMolay members. Feese has been so impressed with the Fraternity that he has signed his petition to become a member in North Carolina.

Jeff Kitsmiller, Executive Director of DeMolay, and members of DeMolay International were ecstatic over getting to see the race car. They took photographs with the driver and received autographs and a photo of the car. The DeMolays look forward to the car returning to St. Louis for the International DeMolay Meeting to be held June the 13-16, 2007.

The next race for the Scottish Rite car is on May 26th, when Blake Feese will attempt to qualify and run in the Busch race in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Photos: (Top) Scottish Rite Race Car in front of the St. Louis Scottish Rite Building. (Second): DeMolay members show off their DeMolay emblem on the car. (Third): DeMolay members meet Scottish Rite Racing Team’s driver, Blake Feese.

=======================

And one additional note: this is not the first time that DeMolay - an organization for young men 12-21 - has been involved in racing activities. At least one jurisdiction provided some sponsorship (through donations made by members ONLY) of a local DeMolay's race car. He had DeMolay decals, similar to the one above, all over it and it caused several adults to inquire about the organization and is credited with bringing in at least four members that year. All it takes is one little seed....

AND, as the topping on the cake, you can now find a section on the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite's website for just this topic. Also, the headline news item when we accessed the page on May 21, 2007 was about SR Racing. Click on the graphic below - and as you cruise the web, be on the lookout for continuing denigration on at least one blog as things progress. Anti-Masons would rather curse the darkness than light a candle....

Footnote: When we'd added the moniker of "Blogger Boy" and a link to his tabloid-oriented blog designed to castigate Freemasonry and perhaps bring some attention to his herbal business, we made a statement which one reader interpreted to mean that the individual in question was not a Mason. Sadly, we suspect he was one of those who 'signed the confession' required by the Grand Master of Georgia and remained a member of his lodge although why we frankly don't understand since he and his compatriots seem SO dissatisfied with Freemasonry. We stated that he was "tied in" with the United Grand Lodge of America which we thought clear but was also questioned. For the record, the "naturopathic physician" who owns that blog and a number of websites selling herbal remedies is, at the very least, extremely sympathetic to their cause. He's done a blog post castigating this site's author for calling him a racist. It is our contention that racism is not bounded by skin color alone and that his disparaging comments about NASCAR fans are proof of his phobias, albeit not skin-color driven. Still further, the many sock puppets have returned to post anonymously deriding this site and, more especially, myself. Have fun, all 3-4 of you and your 15+ identities! <chuckle> By the way: we've removed the link to the site because he was SO enjoying the publicity that this site commands....

Self-Creating Grand Lodges

Fake Masonry never seems to take a vacation. The so-called Regular Grand Lodge of England continues (pretty unsuccessfully it seems) to lure folks by deceiving them into thinking that by joining them they'll become part of a big, progressive group rather than the dream-child of a disaffected Mason with dreams of glory. Curiously, though, they seem to have a whole bunch of leaders who don't want to be found. Is this for real? Read the story here.

So too, the United Grand Lodge of America another group created by an expelled Mason after several other failed groups has been using the internet to garner attention. In the former case, the so-called "Grand Lodge" was formed before an expulsion and in the latter case, after. Regardless, neither has any more recognition as a Masonic organization than do the fish that live in the pond near my house, despite the interest Masons might have in watching them.

We always find it intriguing that the folks who claim to love Freemasonry SO much that they'll go out and set up organizations to 'compete' with it. In fact, they love Freemasonry SO very much that they don't hesitate for a moment to 'bad mouth' it. They seem to think they - and they alone (or perhaps with a few close friends) - have the 'secret sauce' that other Masons have missed for some 300 years. The saddest part is that unknowing individuals can be and are mislead by these claims of legitimacy that sound so realistic to the uninitiated. Here's a clue: if the Grand Lodge in the US, Canada, or UK spends even a moment of time on its website telling visitors how legitimate it is, head somewhere else!!!!

A tragic and senseless shooting kills a Mason during a ceremony at a Masonic hall.

See the details here.

Ripping Off Masons and those who want to be....

Those who use the internet, even for the briefest periods of time, rapidly become aware of the many scams that one can fall victim to. It's OH so easy to scam Masons because they are, generally, extraordinarily trusting - and regrettably, they sometimes don't look too very deeply at what's really happening when they believe another Mason is involved. This  has not escaped the notice of the most odious of the scam artists who've recently begun sending 'begging messages' for monetary assistance to help a child get care at Masonic hospitals (even though such hospitals don't charge for their services) and setting up make-believe "Masonic" groups to get people to 'join' and pay them money.

A case in point is the website of the so-called "Alaharam Club" and "Alharam Lodge". It's nothing but a couple of websites populated with Masonic iconography and pretending to be both a Club, a Lodge, and - it appears - a Grand Lodge as well. This particular shyster outfit came to our attention when we found our page of Famous Freemasons as well as our page of Famous Non-Masons appearing right there on their website, stolen with graphics and all! The thieves, when confronted, simply moved the stolen wares to their "members only" section of the site. Repeated attempts to have the material removed entirely have been completely ignored. Multiple messages posted at various times to their bulletin board are erased so that the unsuspecting will be unaware of their duplicity. Here's a clue: if someone wants you to send a CV for their review and then they'll make you a Mason as long as your check clears, you've been HAD! (You'll note too that you can be a man OR a woman according to their website....) If a Grand Lodge website also offers you a link to stock quotes, be VERY wary: Grand Lodges don't do such things! If someone wants you to pay $120/year for access to the 'secret' part of their website where they've got stolen website pages that you could get for free elsewhere - and they further claim that they're the greatest Masonic research group ever, PLEASE run away quickly. Grand Masters don't also serve as Masters of a Lodge (unless there's only one make-believe lodge as in the case of Alharam!) and you don't become a Mason by mail! There are LOTS of great research lodges and bodies available without resorting to internet scams. If you've been deceived by this group ("The Grand Lodge of the Princes of Jerusalem"), drop me a note and we'll see if we can't put a little pressure on to get them run off the web. Because of their foreign location, it may be difficult to prosecute for mail fraud but legitimate Masonic researchers know that the very first successful mail fraud case prosecuted in the United States involved the bogus selling of Masonic degrees so it might be fun to see if we can do it again! We've got more about "Fake Masonry" here.

"DAVID vs GOLIATH" now free!

While we've been busy designing web pages, another Mason, VW David S. Julian, a Past Grand Bible Bearer of the Grand Lodge of Washington (state) USA, was busy publishing a great book all about anti-Masonry. We've done a review of this excellent work and you can now download a PDF version for free right here. Easy reading and very informative! We certainly recommend you take the time to read this work!

Want to link to us?

We welcome links from all Masonic sites and have designed a graphic which you can use for identification. Grab this and put it on your site with a link-back to us.

Our Site

On July 14, 1998, this site made its initial appearance. Since then, we've found that there always seems to be both new wine in old bottles to fascinate us and funny tasting things pretending to be fine wine to make us laugh and/or cry. We try to keep you abreast of what's going on and we also archive many of our past "What's New" announcements in a section called "What Was New" for your amusement. In addition, at the suggestion of others, we've added a diary page to the 'What's New' area to help you find what changes, additions, or tweaks we've made so as to avoid rummaging all around repeatedly.

We've tried to keep our site user friendly: There's no audio, only a couple of very benign Java scripts, and no dancing chipmunks - at all! (If you're in the market for something really hysterical, though, go check out hamsterdance.com)

Finally: because some anti-Masonic sites are like entering "browser Hell", we've set our site up so that any external link will open in a new window for you. To get back to our site, simply close that window by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of your browser with that page. You'll find yourself right back here where you began. We hope that'll help.

Oh, and thanks for stopping by!