tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post8178195841053595244..comments2024-03-26T12:05:58.591-04:00Comments on Freemasons For Dummies: Arkansas: Floggings Continue, Yet Morale Doesn't ImproveChristopher Hodapphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-73700416731234228302016-09-19T09:42:25.369-04:002016-09-19T09:42:25.369-04:00You sir are a patriot! This purge is senseless, an...You sir are a patriot! This purge is senseless, and our leader is KLAN destine! This is deeper than you know!Mason in distresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02831549183913793363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-38181053213503595642016-09-16T12:56:41.620-04:002016-09-16T12:56:41.620-04:00The Grand Lodge has called a "informational m...The Grand Lodge has called a "informational meeting" to inform the fraternity about what is going on in the state. We are ordered to arrive on time and that there will be no discussion. The Master, Wardens, and secretary are "expected" to be there. Makes me wonder what happens if a far off lodge doesn't get the message or cant send anyone.......Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-71016939896933206282016-09-12T21:42:31.019-04:002016-09-12T21:42:31.019-04:00Hey brother, it's still better than my article...Hey brother, it's still better than my article about your call with the Worthy Matron. LoL<br /><br />Ethan CokerEthan Harrison Cokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293482430311454576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-1265244364973516672016-09-12T18:19:00.739-04:002016-09-12T18:19:00.739-04:00Oh hell... Fixed now. Thanks very much. I looked a...Oh hell... Fixed now. Thanks very much. I looked at it five times and never caught it.Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-32918631462271953792016-09-12T16:59:05.658-04:002016-09-12T16:59:05.658-04:00You might be surprised Bro Hodapp. You've pro...You might be surprised Bro Hodapp. You've provided a great service to the Fraternity by exposing this farce publicly. Disheartened PM in NWAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06654662307593215904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-61797086093776033432016-09-12T16:56:53.833-04:002016-09-12T16:56:53.833-04:00Not to be a stickler, but your directive note to t...Not to be a stickler, but your directive note to the update lists Vickie Staggs as the Grand Patron, not the Grand Matron. Just a typo to be sure. Cowardly in my opinion, for the Worthy Grand Matron to dismiss one of her sisters because of the GMs soft ego and bullying tactics.<br /><br />Ethan CokerEthan Harrison Cokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293482430311454576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-81264053193693756432016-09-12T14:35:54.699-04:002016-09-12T14:35:54.699-04:00The Conference issues the following Call:
At the ...The Conference issues the following Call:<br /><br />At the World Conference on Fraternalism, Paris, France -- May 27, 2017<br />The Bibliotheque Nationale in cooperation with the learned societies and other sponsors.<br /><br />Grand Auditorium, Plenary Session<br /><br />"American Freemasonry is in major crisis"<br /><br />Submissions to the Conference site at<br />http://www.ipsonet.org/conferences/ritualconference-main<br /><br />Simultaneous Translation.Bro. Paul Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435030965629467739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-66773721649306320782016-09-12T12:33:56.393-04:002016-09-12T12:33:56.393-04:00It breaks my heart to hear that Masons are sufferi... It breaks my heart to hear that Masons are suffering under poor leadership. I think that it is important for the GM to recognize that submission to his will is voluntary and his "authority" will mean nothing when Brethren refuse to gather under his leadership. His memory will be stained by the division and disharmony he has brought to the Craft. There is no righting this with him and his "team" in charge. He should withdraw and send an apology for his inflammatory and disruptive behavior. He has done more harm than good at this point, and the Craft is suffering under his leadership.<br /><br />I would also like to highlight the difficulties, even among Masons, when we cannot maintain our anonymity with Brethren who are not known to us personally. There are people that simply must not be included in the knowledge that I am a Masons, and I know Academics and Professionals who would suffer if their membership in the Craft was known widely. I appreciate your intentions at usually insisting on actual names and identifiers, but I avoid providing personal data online as much as reasonably possibleLooking Deeperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969193879261845572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-27424676237511598412016-09-12T10:27:40.739-04:002016-09-12T10:27:40.739-04:00Brethren, in most Grand Jurisdictions “Letters of ...Brethren, in most Grand Jurisdictions “Letters of good standing, demits” are granted from the Blue Lodge, not Grand Lodge. In reference to my statement “an examination of the demits verses deaths would perhaps give a better understanding of that data.” My point is remove the deaths from all equations to see a trend. You first need to determine the average age of masons in your state to learn how deaths effect the total drop in membership. The average age for master masons in SC is probably 58 years old, therefore in 12 years SC will have a drastic drop in membership due to deaths. This is based on the average age when man dies at 70 years old. If your state/jurisdiction has high numbers of brethren who are approaching 70, correspondingly the state/jurisdiction will certainly have a drastic loss on membership. <br />Your friend and brother from Inman<br />Jay Adam <br />Jay Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14641269595876060751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-34251265873181070222016-09-12T02:17:19.293-04:002016-09-12T02:17:19.293-04:00Gosh, it's almost like the Grand Whatevers are...Gosh, it's almost like the Grand Whatevers are sticking by their dear Grand brothers in Arkansas with their silence. Is it possible, venerable PMs, that our collective adoration of our otherwise useless Grand lines is giving these men over-inflated egos and a lust for power? Of course the Grand Lodges of other states don't condemn the Grand Lodge of Arkansas. Why would they attack the status quo, when they are the status quo? The only time a Grand Officer ever shows up in Georgia is when they're telling ya about something you can't do or asking you to buy some gaudy trinket. Ethan Harrison Cokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293482430311454576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-35773453623672109042016-09-11T23:53:12.342-04:002016-09-11T23:53:12.342-04:00As the other brother has stated, I have heard the ...As the other brother has stated, I have heard the same thing. If you even "like" an expelled member Facebook post you can be expelled. How can they justify this? If I like his post about his kids how am I breaking the law to the point of unmasonic conduct? In the last post on this site, and what we can confirm in the digest of laws, it clearly states from the GS that you cannot communicate any business when used as a forum to debate Masonic law. Masonic law. Not a Facebook friends kid picture. Can anyone please explain to me how it is possible for the grand lodge to change laws and interpret things that are not law or voted upon and they can get away with it? How can they do that? How can that be fixed? Why aren't other jurisdictions saying you can't do that Arkansas. This is 2 cases now just in the last couple of days, this issue of liking Facebook pictures that is not what the law states and the other issued brother Chris brought up about the what the law clearly states on demits. How can a legal body not stick to the code of laws approved by our membership and change it on the fly as they please without a vote? Once again brethren, this is part of the injustices we deal with in Arkansas. Arkansas masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00646554648995934649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-9040933926488831662016-09-11T22:27:29.545-04:002016-09-11T22:27:29.545-04:00Greeting from Northwest Arkansas. Masonry has rea...Greeting from Northwest Arkansas. Masonry has really been hurt in this part of Arkansas. Prior to these suspensions, Masonry was growing, and our appendant bodies were doing excellent things. Now we are in danger of having to shut many of them down. Many Masons are either not going to participate, or have been told they are not allowed to come to this part of Arkansas or risk suspension. Some have been told to move their memberships to Little Rock. Many on here continue to advocate voting a new GL. This would certainly help, if it was allowed to happen. The real power in Arkansas sits with the Law and Usage committee. This is made up of the past grand masters. Nothing happens without their support. They ensure the sitting GM knows they can easily remove him if he doesn't comply. This is not to excuse our current grand masters actions, but he could not do what he is doing without their full support. It would take about 10 years of good people becoming a PGM's, before any change can happen under the current system. A majority of this committee must be obtained. This is almost an impossible feat, since they will remove anyone that doesn't follow their wishes. I wish we knew how to fix this, but currently we just don't see much of a way. We are secretly wishing the grand lodge will fall, so we can rebuild Masonry in Arkansas. Thanks to all who are supporting us outside of our state. There are many good Masons here in Arkansas, just not at the Grand Lodge. As we sit behind the Iron Curtain, we hope for better days ahead.A Mason in NWAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07659495561303088531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-29438130523364905712016-09-11T21:15:30.636-04:002016-09-11T21:15:30.636-04:00A few days ago I was sitting for a coffee with a &...A few days ago I was sitting for a coffee with a "seeker" of the light, a potential candidate... and I tried to explain to him the noble ideals of the fraternity, the life-long work on that rough ashlar toward something better and closer to the perfect - and now I have to pray that he won't accidentally find all these disturbing news about some subhumans masquerading as Masons. <br />hszihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16716257033703916056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-51571038495606268282016-09-11T20:32:00.176-04:002016-09-11T20:32:00.176-04:00“It is easier to find people fit to govern themsel...“It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people fit to govern others.”Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12375610038537897062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-85333728523540153722016-09-11T17:22:00.936-04:002016-09-11T17:22:00.936-04:00We are all acquainted with the fact that regardles...We are all acquainted with the fact that regardless of autonomy, associations of independent colleges, hospitals, even hotels and restaurants, have minimal standards and if a compatriot doesnt meet those standards it will not be recognized by the others. No fellow member of any of the many trade associations, club associations like even model railroaders and lily hybridizers would tolerate reciprocity with the sort of things that these grand lodges are tolerating. No historical association if it heard about it would tolerate a local historical society with no mention of the African Americans in the community or on its boards, no charity like the Scottish Rite would be recognized if its officers used a gross percentage of revenue for themselves -- the point is how exceptional and extraordinary what passes for usual in some Masonic bodies has become. It is literally taken for granted, which is not only outrageous, but contageous.Bro. Paul Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435030965629467739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-31507063759867377542016-09-11T16:28:29.942-04:002016-09-11T16:28:29.942-04:00I wonder why the other Grand Jurisdictions haven&#...I wonder why the other Grand Jurisdictions haven't weighed in on this. It looks like the present GM is treating the organization as is own Caliphate. Racefishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13753687720717215432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-80441857419029820792016-09-11T16:00:42.530-04:002016-09-11T16:00:42.530-04:00I seem to recall a similar situation back in the 1...I seem to recall a similar situation back in the 1970s, that involved cover-ups, improper dismissals, and a "cancer" on the institution itself. <br /><br />The only way it was remedied was through a massive shake-up in the leadership. It appears to me that the jurisdiction of Arkansas has their own version of "Arkgate".<br /><br />I can only pray that level heads will eventually prevail and that the "cancer" in this situation be cured.Darrell G. Waddellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08652178240313205689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-79323299656772701732016-09-11T15:55:03.699-04:002016-09-11T15:55:03.699-04:00Well, something tells me I won't be invited to...Well, something tells me I won't be invited to speak at CGMNA again anytime soon. Even when it's here in Indy in 2018. <br /><br />Doesn't really disturb my sleep at night.Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-47399051294886182112016-09-11T15:50:31.767-04:002016-09-11T15:50:31.767-04:00This kind of organizational behavior is simply hei...This kind of organizational behavior is simply heinous. In another organization it would simply be laughable. But in an organization that purports to embody Enlightenment-era rationality and brotherhood, it is downright despicable.<br /><br />Well is it said that the sleep of reason breeds monsters. When Masonic leadership departs from the central tenets of our profession, they create a monstrosity.<br /><br />No doubt, Brother Hodapp, you are hated among the leadership in Arkansas. But in truth, you are to be commended for your role in bringing this to light.Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-62282443430305265932016-09-11T15:04:03.179-04:002016-09-11T15:04:03.179-04:00Military personnel are constantly on the move, so ...Military personnel are constantly on the move, so the Arkansas procedures place an unacceptable burden on them, in contrast with the long tradition of doing everything possible to accommodate them. Where are the National Sojourners in all this? The High Twelve? the Scottish Rite? Do they simply dump their members when grand lodges dump blue lodge brethren? And Collateral bodies with African-American members in other states are placed in an impossible situation. The grand masters of other states are again shamed by their lack of action. The North American conference of grand masters, that of the grand secretaries, the George Washington memorial in Alexandria, the Masonic Service Association, already humiliated by the bigotry of some members, are further shamed if there is no action. it is impossible to claim that Masonry is a positive force for American values of freedom of speech, fair play,due process, tolerance when so much that is opposite is going on, How would we explain all this to a DeMolay teenager?Bro. Paul Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06435030965629467739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-60150195302688490802016-09-11T14:08:25.240-04:002016-09-11T14:08:25.240-04:00At this point I would expect many Arkansas lodges ...At this point I would expect many Arkansas lodges to declare independence and unite to form a new Grand Lodge. There is precedent for that.grytpypehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058874714902993209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-48019017741334356732016-09-11T13:25:53.159-04:002016-09-11T13:25:53.159-04:00An Arkansas Brother sent this message to me becaus...An Arkansas Brother sent this message to me because he was having trouble posting here. He wanted me to put it up and include his name and lodge number. I won't do that, because sometimes you have to talk a guy off the ledge. But here is his message:<br /><br /><i>I am an Arkansas Mason. <br />I am not an Elk, Rotarian, Lion, or any of the other great groups that are out there. What I am is a Blue Lodge Mason. I am part of a brotherhood of good men making great men. I am searching for light. And my hope is I can be a light for those in need. As a Mason we are all equal. There is no Mason greater than another Mason. None who hold secrets that I do not have. I will lay down my life for my brothers as they would for me. <br />I live in a country where I can question my government. I can gather people who think like I do and rally for change and justice. I can speak my mind without fear or hesitation. But I do not live under a Grand Lodge where I can speak my mind. I cannot speak up and say I think this is unjust. I am told we are all equal, but in reality, my say is not as important as others deem theirs is. <br /><br />There is a lot of disharmony in my lodge. Good counsel is not whispered into a brother's ear. As a state we are not educating each other. We are not stepping up to right the wrong of our craft. We do not stand tall and be an example to all mankind. <br /><br />We sit quietly in lodge and say, "If they don't notice me, I'm ok." We are not ok every time a brother is wronged and we do not fight the darkness. We are the problem. <br /><br />I call for a complete change in our Grand line. It is time we fix our craft. We are a great brotherhood with a rich history -- a history that we are not doing justice. <br /><br />For the love of our craft and the love of our lodge, it is time we stand up. Be counted as men and Masons. I challenge every one of my brothers in our great state to stand and be heard. <br /><br />We cry that our numbers are down, that young men do not join the craft. We can't keep members showing up at lodge. The seats are empty. What are we showing the world? We have an oblation to all mankind. Are we living up to it? When we sit in lodge, is there a body in the seat but the man is empty? <br /><br />I was made a Mason at heart first. <br /><br />If you think I'm wrong talk to me. If you think I have a point, then stand up. Stand up and strengthen our brotherhood. Become the light that we seek. Do not sit idly by as our lodge continues to crumble by silent consent. </i>Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-59253328060658871652016-09-11T13:03:20.147-04:002016-09-11T13:03:20.147-04:00Look for the thinning of the herd to accelerate. R...Look for the thinning of the herd to accelerate. Rumor is that even "liking" a comment on football on a suspended brother's page will get you summoned. Can pulling of charters be far behind? Or threats against other appendant bodies? It's all for the betterment of masonry.<br /><br />Remember brothers, Billy Joe loves us.Anonymous Arkansas PMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09339277822750537107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25683662.post-89215513839187040632016-09-11T12:35:33.039-04:002016-09-11T12:35:33.039-04:00"He has called together legislative bodies at..."He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." Sound familiar?Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18328102772349876717noreply@blogger.com