Some Letters

Today was one of those days, like too many others, when I wish I had a transporter like the one in Star Trek (or an improved version of the one in Spaceballs). While I was able to get out of the office a little earlier than my usual departure time, I was still rushing to get through the evening. After all, I had to take a detour to the lodge to make sure the mail was up to date for our stated meeting later in the week.

As we have so much going on and so many different things that are in the works for the remaining months this year, I have had to pay particular attention to the communications situation. Not only are we in the midst of the annual dues influx but there are also the usual monthly invoices, charity requests, and notes of thanks. Adding to all of this are the letters from brethren stating that they would like to hold an elected office next year. Needless to say, the post office box was quite full and required some effort to remove the mail jammed into the confined space.

When I got home, and after my wife and son went to bed, I finally sat down and sorted through the pile of paper that I had retrieved earlier in the evening. There were a couple of checks, a couple of bills, and a nice group of letters mixed in with the junk. I enjoyed reading the letters as a couple of them were thanking the lodge for some generous gifts and support and the others were those from the brethren asking to have their name on the ballot. It is indeed a pleasure reading the kind words of others and it is reassuring to see so many brothers wanting to hold a leadership position in the coming year.

These letters are really what give me hope about the future of the lodge and reassure me that, while we may have had a few issues here and there over the past year, we have the masons and motivation to really make our lodge the best in the district if not the entire commonwealth. And these letters are not just from ambitious young members but also from those who have held elected offices for years as well as those wanting to do so for the first time. It has been a great mix and I am excited to see what comes about in December. Next year should be a great!

An Off Day Not A Day Off

Things seemed to be a little off this morning. After getting a late start to the day due to an early morning meeting and before heading off to work, I meandered over to our local polling location to submit my annual votes. It is an off year so by the time I got there I was only number 42 for the day. What caught me off guard a bit, besides the parking situation at the church, was the fact that this was the first time that I had to fill out a paper ballot in my life. Sitting in the partitioned booth, it felt like I was taking the SATs again.

That experience has pretty much summed up this whole election cycle so far this year. Things are getting done and the positions are being stated but the format seems a little different and we are having to work a little bit more to find what we are looking for. After scanning the entire paper, front and back, there wasn’t anything or anyone that would change my mind which left me only having to fill in one circle in order to complete my ballot.

Honestly, at this point, I don’t expect things to be much different next year. While I keep looking at the various positions on both primaries, it is pretty clear where my vote will be cast. Well, to a certain extent anyway. As was clear in the debates last week, it is still a crowded field with more viable candidates than I can recall ever taking the stage at one time. There are a few that I would like to see continue, others I would prefer drop out, and a couple that have really piqued my interest. At least that is my perspective on the Republican side… there really isn’t anyone that I could even come close to even feigning support for on the other ticket.

While this may be an off year, the next election is one that will make a huge difference in this country… hopefully for the better. Now that this day is coming to an end, we should really see the campaigns taken to another level over the next couple of months. And as the field thins, we should get a much better sense of who is the right person for the job, who can lead this country, and who truly has our best interests in mind. So buckle up and get ready for the ride.

Conversations At The Lodge

While Tuesday nights at the lodge usually consist of some kind of training or study in addition to fellowship, last night was predominantly about the latter. There are so many things going on right now and projects that need to be completed that it was time for many of us to sit down an assess where we stand on a variety of topics. By the end of the evening it was quite clear who the new masons were in the room as many are unaware of some of the changes that have taken place and the progress that has been made already.

It is clear that there are a lot of things that need to be worked in regard to both the physical building and the body of the lodge. There is a sense of complacency that has been festering for over a year now and many of us are doing all that we can to keep it at bay. But just like many ongoing issues, sometimes there are good months and others prove to be more difficult. It is a tiring ebb and flow.

There were some good points made around the table last night and the best thing about the conversation is that there are definitely brothers that are willing to put forth the effort to improve the experience of all the brothers at the lodge. This has been known for some time about many of the brothers present but it is nice to have that reassuring dialogue from time to time. With that said, the eagerness of some may need to be tempered just a bit in order for them to truly be effective both in the coming year as well as in future endeavors. It is an ambitious group of men to say the least.

As for me, my job is to listen to the conversations, the ideas, and the dilemmas and interject when needed. For the most part I simply sit back and let the brethren vent, make plans, and discuss the projects and programs that they would like to see come to life moving forward. However, if certain things progress in such a way that they disrupt the harmony of the lodge I may be forced to voice my opinion and do so rather loudly. As of today nothing needs to be said but I don’t expect that to be the case moving forward. While I don’t expect some to agree with me, I know that there are certain stances that need to be taken, votes to be caste, and motions to be made. Hold on… things could get very interesting.

Some Speakers Are Better Than Others

With a full schedule, I awoke early this morning looking forward to joining the Commonwealth Club for breakfast at The Radnor Hotel. While I did run a little late, I was there in plenty of time as I was able to get myself a modest breakfast and easily find a seat about five minutes before the meeting began and the speaker was introduced. I even had enough time to introduce myself to the distinguished guest and hand him a bag from his niece that I was asked to give to him. It is interesting how you seems to have, if you look hard enough, an existing connection to everyone you meet (I even figured out the loose connection to Kevin Bacon).

The meeting began like all the others that I have written about in the past with a few words from the Party Chairman and the introduction of the presenter for the morning. However, only a few minutes into the former Governor, Senator, and Attorney General’s talk (yes, he held all of those positions in his career) you could tell that this candid conversation was much different from those for which we had previously been present. Maybe it was the fact that he is no longer active in politics (at least he no longer holds an official office) but it seemed to be much more than that.

With all that continues to swirl around Washington and the divide that seems to widen by the day among the voting public, having someone speak to the unity that is needed, unity in the pursuit of liberty and opportunity and the diversity of this country as a blessing rang a unique tone. Not because it is a goal and a message absent from the party but because it is coming from a man who has been the target of so many attacks from the opposition but remains true to the hope of a country which embraces freedom rather than the overburdened policies and legislation designed to limit opportunity and growth within each free individual.

Hearing those sentiments from John Ashcroft really made me wonder about how this party, my party, is viewed from the opposition and how wrong that pervasive opinion really is. I have seen the people and the actions of this party with my own eyes and know the inclusiveness that is woven into the ideals ad opportunities that we promote. However, I have seen the actions of individuals who do not embody these ideals, tarnish our work and our party. But we do not let that stop us, we continue to support individual liberty and responsibility as a means to unify all of us and open the doors of opportunity to improve the lives of everyone as well as our country as a whole because, in the end, this country does not belong to one party or another, it belongs to us all.

Instead of looking for answers, look for opportunity. Don’t rely solely on the words of others, seek the truth of the matter through your own efforts. And, like Attorney General Ashcroft, focus on what is right (or the letter of the law as the case may be) rather than what is popular. After all, the truths are self-evident if we just open our eyes and embrace the rights of freedom and liberty. The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should not be negotiated or compromised or regulated by government. We, as a people, must be united in this continued devotion to ourselves, one another, and our country. And finally, remember that the opportunity to embrace our rights should not be ignored or else we begin chipping away at liberty.  

WTF Of The Week: California Hypocrisy

Hey look, another quality California politician and official donkey cave.

Seems as though talk radio was blowing up a little more than usual this morning. I can’t really say I blame them for ranting the way that they have been doing lately. In addition to the national scams and acts of severe dishonesty there are also the local debacles. And I really don’t know which one is worse at this point.

First you have the overblown traffic jam from New Jersey which started as just that, a means to try and blow a traffic jam way out of context in order to make Christie look bad. Honestly, I don’t even know why the other party even started this whole thing. Christie is one of those people that if you just let him talk for long enough he is going to hurt himself. Just like with this ‘scandal, the longer that it has gone on the more crap that Christie gets himself into. Recently he decided to spend over a million taxpayer dollars to hire his personal lawyer to prove his innocence. Let me see if I understand this… you hired someone you know, from a firm you are affiliated, to conduct an unbiased investigation which in the best case demonstrates that you have limited control over your own staff. You have got to be freaking kidding me.

The other situation going on is, unfortunately, in my state as the attorney general is lawyering up and threatening a defamation suit in order to ‘prove’ that she did not sweep a corruption investigation under the commonwealth’s carpet. This is the type of over-reaction that almost proves that you are guilty. What gets me is that this was allowed to just go unchecked for so long and that no one said anything, especially those in higher political offices.

While Kane and the fat man are enough fodder for a blogs worth of rants, there is another story that broke early this morning that easily overshadows all the aforementioned BS and so much more. Here is the first two paragraphs from the Forbes story by Greg McNeal:

California Democratic State Senator and candidate for California Secretary of State, Leland Yee, a gun control advocate, has been charged with conspiring to traffic in firearms and public corruption.  The charges are part of a 26 person criminal complaint and a major FBI sting operation.  The full criminal complaint is a massive 137 pages that tells the story of Yee’s involvement with a broad ranging conspiracy that includes firearms trafficking, murder-for-hire, drug distribution, trafficking in contraband cigarettes, money laundering, and honest services fraud.

Yee is charged with “conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms” as well as six counts of honest services fraud.  Each corruption charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000, while the gun-trafficking charge is punishable by up to five years and $250,000.

That’s right, the gun control advocate is essentially an arms dealer. If he is so comfortable with dealing firearms, it makes you really wonder about his motivation to ban and control firearms. After all, I am certain that he didn’t restrict himself to selling six shot revolvers. There isn’t much more I can say to highlight the hypocrisy and heinous acts. However, I will say this… why is there such a light sentence for gun trafficking? While I am against the restriction of the legal ownership of firearms of all kinds, I am a firm believer in the harsh punishment of those individuals who so blatantly break the law and deal in illegal firearms. If anything, the penalty should at least be equal to the sentences doled out for the other corruption charges.

Well, with the mid-term campaigns about to warm up along with the weather, put some thought in to who you are really voting for. Don’t let a despicable donkey cave like Lee hold public office and open your eyes to the hypocrisy that might be as blatant. It is all around you and, in fact, you probably voted for some of the ones that pride themselves on this practice. A traffic jam doesn’t seem so important now, does it?