Shriners Launch PR Campaign, Settle Lawsuit Prior to Worldwide Masonic Grand Masters' Conference

I have no first-hand knowledge of anything you have written about. I am certain that the civil authorities will sort the truth from the fiction.

I am not a Shriner. But I can state with absolute certainty that Shriners is an honorable organization.

As a child aged twelve or thirteen, I received months of expensive surgery, residence and care at a Shriners facility in the Pacific Northwest. My medical and personal treatment was first-rate.

Why muddy the waters with negative press? If there is a pervasive problem it should be exposed; otherwise, why cast a shadow over the overwhelmingly positive work of this grand organization?

God bless the Shriners.

Neron, What can't you understand that this is not about their Shriners Hospitals, but lack of total
Financial Accountability, Ethics and their $10 Billion Dollars they have to sue their own members
for requesting them to disclose how they spend the money. I suggest you read the New York Times story on March 19th, 2007 about how little money they actually give to the Hospitals. This was on their front page. Why don't you address the "Jesters" and their sex clubs, The NY Judge that was caught
pimping across state lines for the Shriners Jesters members? Why should you pay the IRS and they don't? Open up your mind and realize that their Leaders leave a lot to be desired.....If they were
"above board" they would open up their books to the public and disclose the money they have used for
personal mortages as Sandy has documented. Because they supposingly help the Hospitals, does this give them the right to shaft the IRS, the laws of the land, their own members and contributors? Should they not be held accountable, should they not be punished for going to a foreign country to have sex with minors? You are so concerned about the Shriners Hospitals, I ask you why don't they advertise their Hospitals other than for free PSA advertisements? Why aren't their Hospitals not full of kids being
worked on by the Doctors? This is reality, something ain't right with all the stories Sandy has written
because the Shriners Honchos haven't denied anything. Perhaps they are in shock knowing they have been caught and they can't do a damn thing about it other than wait for the Feds to come knocking
and then start stuttering. No one made them filled out their IRS Returns and not tell the truth did they?

Ummmm, Sandy

I don't want to be invasive here, but I would want to note to anybody interested in masonry that the so-called Regular Grand Lodge of England - RGLE - and the subsidiaries it established are a creation in 2005 by a rather limited group of people around an individual acting under the pseudonym of "Rui Gabirro", which have no connection to the main trunk of masonry despite the claims on their websites to be some sort of governing body and/or meta-lodge.

It is a self-creation that did not abide to the conventions of regular nor reformed masonry and is shunned/ignored by all but very few lodges as far as I'm aware of. And definintely not accepted by neither the United Grand Lodge of England and the Grande Loge Nationale Française which on itself takes away its legitimacy in masonic tradition.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, Sandy

Greetings from Spain

I am a Mason and a Shriner, as was my father. I am not a Jester, but I do have friends I know to be Jesters (Court #32 in Fort Worth, TX), and they are some of the finest men I've had the privilege to know. They wouldn't be caught dead participating in the kinds of activities alleged in your columns. Please note that I am not testifying to the character of all Shriners/Jesters everywhere, but the ones I am referring to are as honorable as it gets.

I have noted that you draw a fairly clear distinction between the Blue Lodge and the Shriners. As no man can continue as a Shriner if Blue Lodge membership is terminated for any reason, the appropriate place to accomplish individual pruning is the Blue Lodge itself. There are procedures in place to handle men who display character inconsistent with being a Mason. The application of these procedures is up to each Mason's home lodge. It is entirely conceivable (and even probable) that most local lodges are not aware of these issues. If they are, it should be incumbent upon them to take action.

With that said, dishonorable or illegal actions by Masons are unacceptable. Our Masonic oaths are specific. My personal opinion is that there is a time for forbearance, and a time for expulsion. I hope that neither option is employed to the exclusion of the other.

I wish to bring to your attention that the tone of your articles paints all Shriners (Jesters or not) with a very large brush, indeed. This brush width does not reflect the values, character, or people it has been my pleasure and honor to know through this organization. I would courteously ask that in your writings you perhaps be mindful of over-broad characterizations, explicitly or implicitly. I don't believe that being careful with assignations is incongruent with the work you are doing to explore issues within our organization(s) that have the appearance of impropriety.

Regards,

Brad Felmey

There is a glaring error in this paragraph.
Though they are Master Masons, some seem to disconnect from and turn their back on Freemasonry to become "Shriners first," who then dedicate their lives to overseeing and supporting their $13 billion network of 22 hospitals that provides free medical care to burned or crippled children at tax payer expense.

at tax payer expense. Should read at Shriners expense. Public tax payers are not involved.

Sincerely
David F. Warner

Who is the anonymous "mike" who is calling some one an "idiot". My membership as a Blue Lodge Master Mason does not allow me to call others any derogatory names. And, since 'mike' used the possessive "your" instead of the contractive "you're", I have to believe his comments come, not from the brain or heart, but from some other more visceral portion of his anatomy. The web may condone the use of small case letters instead of first letter capitals, but intelligence does not allow blatant name calling or the mis-use of English, in any form. Such misuse is, so often, an indication of a paucity of intellect, stark and abiding laziness, or a full membership in the No-Nothing Party. As such, it is easy to ignore.

Of all the good things that Masonry does and stands for it is a shame that a group that has little regard for the teachings are not dealt with. I served on the Hospital Board of Governors and feel our hospital did everything possible to keep things on the up and up. We helped a lot of young people over the years and it is decline not because of the actions of some, but because of the technical advances of medicine. I have belonged over 52 years and I am proud to be called a Mason and will continue to work in the Masonic Fraternity with the teachings it has, and not worry about those who have glory on their minds. Their are other parts of the fraternity that helps mankind besides the Shrine. The York Rite eye surgeries, the medical researching done in areas that most people do not know about, the helping of young people in their learning, the blood drives sponsored by local Lodges, and the program to give bikes to kids for reading. And how about the Youth program that collects money to help with kids who need hearing aids. No I do not condone the actions of a few, when so many work hard to make a difference in the life of a child.

Sandy,

Where do you get your information? Whom ever is telling you things are wrong in many points and if you were a good reporter you would check out what you are told and not print falsehoods.

This story like the one one you printed implying that Jesters were doing wrong has many problems with the story. As I have noted none of the wild aligations came to pass. I will site just a few of the problem with your new story.

You say "In North America, a Master Mason can branch out and join other "appendant" groups such as the Scottish Rite, the Knights Templar or the Shriners." This statement has some truth to it by it is wrong. If you are going to try to bash organizations learn something about them first.

You say,"Though they are Master Masons, some seem to disconnect from and turn their back on Freemasonry to become "Shriners first," who then dedicate their lives to overseeing and supporting their $13 billion network of 22 hospitals that provides free medical care to burned or crippled children at tax payer expense."

Please site examples where Masons turn their back to the blue lodge because they become Shriners? I find this a strange statement because a condition to being a Shriner is to be in good standing with the Blue Lodge. If he turns his back on the Blue Lodge he will not be able to continue being a Shriner.

There is not a penny that comes from any government tax used to support any Masonic hospitals. All the money used to pay for these hospitals are from dues paid by the Masons and by donations.

You ask:

"Have the Jesters hustled the feds by convincing them that raising millions for partying is a legitimate exempt purpose because the IRS has had no problem classifying them as both a nonprofit fraternity and charity?"

Did you ask the same about the Lions, Elks, Moose, Knights of Columbus and the VFW? They seem to have the same purpose as you point out in your statement. Maybe I you were to take some time doing some investigation, you would not have egg on your face so often, but then you would get board with the truth.

You say:

"So, you might be asking, have the Shriners denounced any of the Jesters involved in these prostitution/child sex tourism/felony scandals?

No.

Have the Shriners tried to disassociate themselves from the Jesters?

No.

Have the Shriners made examples of those Jesters bringing disgrace upon the brotherhood by either trying them for "conduct unbecoming a Shriner" or throwing them out?

No.

Not a word. "

So from what you are saying is that a person should be punished for a crime before they are tried or convicted of a crime. I thought in the US we were presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty. I guess you do not prescribe to this practice?

I have glanced over your other claims and see nothing but hearsay and guessing. If you want to be a reporter , please get at least some classes on the correct way put a story together. In the stories I have read of yours I can say they could be used to show what not to do.

Roy

Thousands of people have gotten a great deal from this fraternity. Like any group of any size sooner or later you will come across a bad apple. If someone had anything to do with child sex then they should have more than our simple justice system to worry about. If some moron decided to participate in the oldest profession know to this planet namely prostitution then they should be outed and embarrassed to all. The Masons and Shriners and all other groups are not evil, if they use pagentry or passwords or handshakes or other actions to simply add some kind of life to nothing, well thats just what they do. There is no evil master plan at the bottom of it. I have seen first hand the people the Shriners Burn Institutes and orthopedic hospitals have helped. I hope you or no one you ever meet ever has to deal with a young child being burnt close to death with life changing burn scars ravaging throughout their entire body. With the Shriners burn Institue all you have to do is call them anytime anywhere, it doesn't matter who you are or what your circumstances. They come pick you up and work with you and your child and family until things are right. They never EVER ask for a dime, their care is COMPLETELY FREE. I have seen children who have had to undergo many many reconstructive surgeries and the counseling they and their families had to go through to make it better for all. Never once are they ever rejected care or asked to pay. With any other health care provider or health plan in this country if you had to deal with anyone other than the Shrine in such a situation you would be bankrupt or worse. So please, I know writing stories that are hot or sexy or taboo excites on line readers, please remember what you are mad at. You are mad at one or two old DUMB men who decided to FOOLISHLY engage the services of a prostitue. That is the case. To try and throw mud at an organization that has done a heck of a lot more good and righted a heck of a lot more lives than we could ever list here is wrong. This fraternity is completed funded by its members. Millions go into the hospitals and care units every year. If a bunch of old men want to travel to a conference to wear funny hats and eat barbeque then where is the crime there? You talk about tax evasion. Okay of you want to double tax them go ahead. The money that this group spends already comes out of the paychecks that the government taxed in the first place. But if you do think due to your dislike or distrust of this group that they should be double taxed, well then I would be very careful, since I believe we had a whole lot of issues with that "taxation without representation" thing back in the 1760s and 1770's

Sandy,

I see in our local paper where a reporter was accused of theft from the paper they worked for. How can you reporters be such thieves? Why do all reporters steal? Why hasn't the publishers denounced all of you? Now keep in mind this is an editorial, an opinion, my point of view. Remember that writing is basic and reporting is fundamental. By the mere fact you state that taxpayer money is used shows that you don't have your facts straight. I see you spent 2 years "investigating"masons, please tell me that you have solved all the problems facing us as citizens ,that you now have a full 2 years to dedicate to one story. WOW! Didn't you have some sort of vow or oath to report all the facts or at least truthful facts? You are obviously a substandard reporter as an opinion section is usually reserved such.

Sandy,

I see here in our local paper where a reporter was caught stealing from the company he worked for. How can all reporters be thieves? Why do all of you reporters steal? Why have the publishers not denounced you thieving reporters? Now keep in mind this is an opinion, my observation, an article. Remember writing is basic ,reporting is fundamental and you fail at both. By the mere fact that you stated tax payer money is used shows you didn't do your homework. Did you solve all of the problems of your hometown that you had 2 years to dedicate to one story with the wrong facts? Now I know why you have an opinion column assigned to you rather than a real column. Didn't you take some sort of oath to report the truthful facts?

P.S. Your website leaves alot to be desired as it sent me a message that my posting didn't go through and now I see it twice. It is as unreliable as your articles.

Sounds like you've hit a nerve, Sandy. Take care...

No Thanks, Not worthy a discussion.

This was an excellent article ans is consistent with my documentation. please visit the NYS, Congress, and judicial sections:

Sandy,
I have read your writings, and spent some time reading all the comments here as well. I guess I would like to say that I would agree that you have painted Masonry and the Shrine with a very broad brush. I say this because with Masonry for example, in one state alone you can have as many as 500 individual lodges or more. Each state has its own Grand Lodge. Each state is sovereign unto itself. This means that just in Masonry each Grand Lodge is charged with policing its own regarding indiscretions of its members. Most Grand Lodges meet only once a year to do this. Now, there is no accounting for the individual, and yes, the occasional "bad seed" shows up in our ranks. but I would say considering the sheer number of masons that exist in the states, we do a pretty damn good job of weeding them out and upholding our principles. As far as the Shrine goes, it is a similar state of affairs. Where one Temple may have had some corruption, and those involved punished, many do not. The Leaders of these Temples change every year, as it is a progressive line, and we do a good job of correcting things that go wrong. No one should say we are without our problems, but at its root, this is a fantastic organization that does great work. The reason so many folks get fired up and upset about reports that are so abrasive towards this organization, is that all that good work can be LOST, and all those children we help abandoned if we were to lose our status due to irresponsible journalism painting an unbalanced picture of what our organization does AS A WHOLE. I am not aiming at your particular article, but I would like you to consider that in your responsibilities as a journalist, there must be a more productive way to affect change without endangering such a laudable endeavor as the Shriners Hospitals for Children. I speak only on behalf of myself as a Shriner and Mason who has spent more that 2 years inside this wonderful fraternity and understands that in the map of the globe, there are few, if any, organizations that have accomplished what we have. I would propose that instead of digging your heels in and holding fast to the notion that the way you have portrayed this group is the only way they should be or can be seen, step back from sensationalism and look for a more constructive way to find solutions to the problems facing a small percentage thereof. As for the Jesters, that is another discussion, but many of these same principles apply. After all, the catholic church has a much higher percentage of immoral behavior within their ranks, and they speak for god to a much larger audience! I digress, but I hope you can see some wisdom in these words.

This is the concept behind "watchdog" journalism...

We must be careful when we dismiss inflammatory "passion play" writing as mere "watchdog journalism". The Nazi's used a very effective form of "watchdog journalism" to incite the masses against an entire group of people. The Spanish did the same thing centuries earlier with the Inquisition. More recently (in our own country) Mexicans, Mormons, communists, black nationalists, gays, feminists, and Muslims have found themselves on the receiving end of "watchdog journalism"

Accusations of tax evasion and global conspiracys, however entertaining, are detrimental to us as Americans. Isn't there enough division amongst our society as it is? What is the expected result of this witch hunt? Perhaps we would like to see elderly Shriners on CSPAN testifying in front of Congress? We can watch the witch hunt unravel itself in the living rooms across America, right after the baseball steroid debacle. If the volunteer spirit isn't dead in our country, it will be soon enough.

Do unto others and then get sued for it. Nice message.

Sandy,
You are very good at what you do. I see that in response to my message what you have come back with is the same broad brush, and the same over the top language to try and get me to "argue". That must be what sells your stuff. This is no more than Jerry Springer in forum form. For your information, I am well aware of my Temples finances, and so are all the members who inquire. They are on open record at all our meetings, in very clear, understandable ways. I will not argue with you here. On one hand you say you must report the way you do, and on the other you say you have no impact. Maybe you are right, and I hope you are. It is regretful that you cannot see the forest for the trees here. We as a people have a nasty habit of tearing down things that are great because we have nothing in our own lives that compare. Although your aggressive methods of "reporting" is the only way you know, I consider you a virus of the printed word, a one trick pony that cannot understand the difference between affecting change and destroying something. Worlds aren't changed in blogs I guess, and in truth I suppose what you have to say is very insignificant. I am proud to be a Shriner, Proud to be a mason, and encourage anyone who is not one to become one because there a few things left in this world that has a sole purpose of improving character, moral value and community charity. People destroy things they do not understand, and you are no different. I would be interested to see if there are any ulterior motives for your aversion to these organizations. Im sure you will say there aren't. Enjoy the attention, I imagine in your mind it has validated what you have done.

Q: Are you saying that watchdog journalists are like the Nazis and Spanish Inquisitors? A: Yes

Q: And that the Nazis and the leaders of the Spanish Inquisition used watchdog journalism to sway the masses? A: Yes

Q: And watchdog journalists target minorities? A: Yes

Watchdog Journalism is just the nice way of saying Propaganda.

And for your information, all congressional hearings ARE witch hunts. These hearings are always looked upon with great embarrassment later on, when the pop politics of the day have changed. Look at how silly McCarthy looks now when we review the old grainy footage. Nobody really remembers anything but the negative images anyway. What was accomplished? Nada.

How is history going to judge the mighty USA for distracting its citizens with baseball steroids during a multi-front global war and economic tumble? How about Ken Starr and the Clinton persecution? Is there anyone left who cares about the Lewinsky affair? All anyone remembers is how hideous Linda Trip looked on TV. None of these issues matter one bit to anyone anymore. It is in fact Propaganda, ergo Watchdog Journalism.

It seems like you may have WASTED two years of your precious life investigating the Shriners. You would have received a Pell Grant if you had chosen to investigate something of substance, like the Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster; and some folks may have even appreciated your life's work.

Instead you slander and diminish one of the last venerable fraternities in America. Who's next, the VFW?

There's only one thing that is certain. Congress will never call for hearings over this. There will never be an investigation. Nobody will ever care about this matter. Your editorial commentary will fall to the wayside along with the editorialist who tried to bring down the Whig Party.

This whole exercise was entertaining to say the least. I've never been accused of being part of a criminal enterprise before, and I've never been treated like a schmuck either. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to experience something new today.

I am an American veteran who has seen real corruption around the globe. I have spent the last 31 months in Iraq marching to the sound of the guns in support of the latest American struggle. Believe me, if your biggest fear is the Shriners, you've got a lot to learn.

I sincerely hope that you never have to experience any real fear or hardship in your life. Only then will you realize what is and isn't important.

In Response to this curious comment...........

"If Congress does call for hearings, here's a little secret. They are going to know the answers before asking those "elderly Shriners" any questions."

Good, then maybe they can "KNOW" where all of the weapons of mass destruction are. Maybe then they can also "know" where Osama bin Laden is, and maybe they can somehow "KNOW" where 11 million illegal aliens are too.

Congress isn't going to KNOW jack, especially since there's nothing to KNOW.

However, Congress will always know what it will take to get re-elected. They will know where they can score some Oxycontin and Cocaine for the weekend on their way to meeting the new DC Madame. That's all they will ever "KNOW".