Friday, December 09, 2011
New York PGM Bidnick Suspended
New York's Past Grand Master Neal Bidnick has been suspended for a year after a Masonic trial. According to the letter circulated by the Grand Lodge of New York, he was suspended for marching in a parade after being expressly forbidden to appear in public Masonic ceremonies by an edict issued last summer by current GM Vincent Libone.
15 comments:
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Why was he told not to attend parades?
ReplyDeleteDirty politics are afoot here. This was done to keep Bidnick out of the Grand Secretary's chair. Very dirty.
ReplyDeleteThe actual order prohibited MW Bidnick from attending public Masonic events on the Grand Lodge calendar. This calendar is not published or circulated to anyone outside the Grand Line. It's a Double Secret Probation scenario wherein one can't attend events that nobody knows the Grand Line is attending. And they were not in attendance at the parade he marched in. Dirty politics indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe edict not just blocked Bidnick from attending public Masonic events but also social masonic ones too. So even just having drinks with a few brothers after a lodge meeting would have been a technical violation. The edict was as broad as possible and in fact designed to be broken so that he couldn't run for election for grand secretary next May. His only real competitor in that election was you guessed it Grand Master Vinnie Libone.
ReplyDeleteThis affair was designed for a single purpose: for GM Libone to knock out his only competitor for grand secretary. Dirty politics? Better believe it.
FFD releasing a Masonic news bomb on a Friday night (<----tongue-in-cheek). So clearly the anon posters, hele themselves because they hail from NYS, :). So, if you are from NYS, then you cannot seriously be shedding a tear for the likes of Neal Bidnick. The NY Times, no secrets in Masonry, one-day class, Internet shell companies, ego-maniacal, purveyor of cronyism - right. This is the same person, correct. I can think of no more unsympathetic, a character or no worse outcome than having that man as GS. You Brothers are lamenting dirty politics - are we in the same Jurisdiction?! – Best kept secret in Freemasonry is the political climate in NYS - Upstate – Downstate doesn’t matter. The only difference between GLNY and GLNF is that the government hasn’t stepped in – YET. “Double secret probation” – How about double secret trials, or double secret charges? In fact, you aren’t a Mason in NY unless you have been up on charges, threatened with charges, preferred charges, sat on a trial, or know someone who did. Bidnick suborned this disastrous environment in NYS Freemasonry with his “what west gate” policy. So now, we are reaping the benefits with so-called Freemasons that are drunken buffoons, racists, homophobes, and even Thelamites. And to pre-empt any “What of Procedure”, what of the rule-of law magnanimous response - save it! The only rule of Law, these days is which “family” you are from in this cliquish Mafia-Wars, “eat-their-young” style of Leadership we are currently under. Real NYS Freemasons are in the shadows, hiding out until someone steps up to save us and the Craft. Most of us pray that Sullivan or the next DGM or someone brings us back some dignity and honor. So yea it was a hit job, Bidnick got whacked and so what.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who cannot see this as an attempt to dispose of competition have their eyes closed.For the first time in my masonic travels, I am truly ashamed to call my self a mason and be counted with the likes of that sad sad man in the big chair.His very exsistance does masonry an enormous disservice, and quite possibly irrepairable damage.
ReplyDeleteI thought the previous sentence was related to his wife's theft of $100,000 from the local Little League.
ReplyDeletehttp://nyack.patch.com/articles/da-little-league-treasurer-admits-100000-theft
Seriously, now we bring families into this whole mess. If that's the case, then someone should ask what the situation is with PGM Gilbert's son. That unpleasant event was kept quiet by Grand Lodge since PGM Gilbert is a cronnie of GM Libone. The plot thickens!
ReplyDeleteWould someone please explain this phrase to me. I being new to masonry I am confused.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore I do solomnly and sincerely promise and swear
That I will not Wrong Cheat nor Defraud a master mason lodge, nor a brother of this degree. To the value of anything
Knowingly, nor suffer it to be done by another if in my power
To prevent. I am pretty sure I said those words.
Did Vinnie?8
I am distressed that you choose to air our dirty laundry in public. We are our own worst enemies. An article like this has a much worse effect than all the conspiracy theories put together. As a NY Mason,the best way to handle this is to remove all this nonsense from this site and let it play out in the courts. Maybe NY should think twice about inviting Chris back in the State?
ReplyDeleteActually, the decision to air this (very) dirty laundry was made by the Grand Master when he decided to disseminate news of this suspension to every Master and Secretary in the Jurisdiction as well as every concordant body and every Grand Lodge that NY is in amity with.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall receiving news of other suspensions in this manner, even that of the junior Past Grand Tyler who sits in jail on rape charges. Of course, he wasn't suspended for these as he is already suspended for stealing from his Lodge to pay for his drug addiction. But his dad, MW Gilbert, wasn't considering a run for Grand Secretary either.
Regrettably, I'd say the horses are out of the barn on this one.
Um, Neal Bidnick has few friends. I personally have had the misfortune of dealing with him. His brash actions precipitated the edict, not just his wife's financial shenaningans ( which reflected poorly on the Fraternity, a situation which Neal swore as a Mason not to exacerbate).
ReplyDeleteNow, whether you like it or not, an edict is an edict. You can leave the Fraternity at any time you wish, and come back as well, as long as you have paid dues to your lodge.
Neal could have made points (and friends) by putting the Fraternity first. He did not. Now he is in a pickle of his own juicing.
As for running for Grand Secretary, if it was truly his intent, then his Masonic standing should have guided his actions.
With all due respect to those who have posted, this is not the place to be discussing these issues. A public forum which can be read by those who might not understand the intricacies of the Craft could easily besmirch our good name.
ReplyDeleteTend to your obligation. Let not the politics of our organization overshadow the good that our organization does or the policies on which we were founded, in the public, and in our hearts.
Also, if you wish to voice an opinion in any forum, kindly address it as a man and not under the veil of anonymity. As stated above in the the comment window:
ReplyDeleteATTENTION!
Kindly sign your comment posts. Anonymous postings on Masonic topics have the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned, and may be deleted.
All of you need to be cautious with your words and actions. what the hell are you doing discussing anything masonic in the presence of cowans. This is the internet for god's sake, have some forethought.
ReplyDeleteI happen to know exactly what went on and almost all of you are so far from the truth you are just airing gossip pointlessly and breaking your obligation in doing so.