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7thBatallion posted:Same hat, but Beaver Brand. Both myself and the previous WM wear the same hat. Except I had to take it off in Lodge. And find a shop that will reshape the hat for life. I am all about the beaver, my good brother.
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Dec 22, 2012 16:35
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CopRock posted:I am all about the beaver, my good brother. On that note, I am a member of the Fraternal Order of the Beaver.
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Dec 22, 2012 19:16
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CopRock posted:Newly elected S.W. I want to start my hat shopping early for next year, anyone have a good milliner they recommend ? As J.W. this year I presided over six EA degrees in a borrowed lid, and want to step up my game. http://www.villagehatshop.com/ makes/sells some great hats at reasonable prices. I got a very nice bowler from them.
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Dec 22, 2012 23:48
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Colonial Air Force posted:On that note, I am a member of the Fraternal Order of the Beaver. Is this a LARPing lodge?
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Dec 23, 2012 00:44
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Snowy posted:Is this a LARPing lodge? It's a lodge for historical reenactors. Yes.
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Dec 23, 2012 02:48
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Colonial Air Force posted:It's a lodge for historical reenactors. Yes. 
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Dec 23, 2012 02:51
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WebDog posted:One of my great-grandparents was a mason and his father was an Oddfellow - are there any relations between the two guilds and is there any meaning to having a past family member be in one should you end up joining? No meaning beyond the obvious finding it meaningful to share that connection. The son of a Mason is called a Lewis and in some jurisdictions that only allow men to join at 21, a Lewis may join at 18, but that's pretty much it. And he would still be voted on normally.
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Dec 23, 2012 02:55
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So I'm going to be making mead over the next six months, since we just voted to have meetings year round, with July and August's dress code being "clothing of some sort." Would it be completely uncool to have the square and compasses sealed n wax on the bottles.
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Dec 23, 2012 03:24
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7thBatallion posted:Would it be completely uncool to have the square and compasses sealed n wax on the bottles. This is the exact kind of thing that would be cool. Now I want to make Masonic Hot Sauce. Plenty of Third-degree burn jokes in there.
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Dec 23, 2012 04:07
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WAFFLEHOUND posted:This is the exact kind of thing that would be cool. Just to make it all the better, I'll be putting the mead in 8.5 oz. round bottles. Now, where do I find the right wax sealing stamp? And should I flavor it with, fruit, berries or mulling spices? Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Dec 23, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2012 04:11
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7thBatallion posted:Just to make it all the better, I'll be putting the mead in 8.5 oz. round bottles. Mulling spices. Always.
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Dec 23, 2012 04:19
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I've been meaning to get a bottle of this:  http://www.lombardscotchwhisky.com/oldmasters.htm 7thBatallion posted:Now, where do I find the right wax sealing stamp? Congratulations, you just came up with the perfect excuse to get a sweet new signet ring!
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Dec 23, 2012 04:20
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Snowy posted:I've been meaning to get a bottle of this: But I'm only an EAM... Oooooh! http://www.customwaxnseals.net/masonic-1-entered-apprentic-mason/ It's not a ring, it's 1/6 the price, and is proper one with both ends of the compass under the bible. I know what I want for my birthday. Along with an airlock. Actual several airlocks. Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Dec 23, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2012 04:23
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I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. - I am half black. - I was not "born free" as I was born to slave owners on a Haitian farm originally. - I suppose I identify as male, but I was born transgendered. - I believe in a singular creator, that creator is Lucifer. Would I face any intolerance while attempting to join the Free Masons? (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Dec 23, 2012 06:07
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The Cleaner posted:I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. In Texas, yes. Anywhere else, probably not, but some other Brothers here could answer better
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Dec 23, 2012 06:24
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The Cleaner posted:I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. Probably you would face the same amount of intolerance that any black transgendered male who is uncertain of his own gender and openly worships Lucifer can expect, yes. I mean, I certainly can't speak for every single Mason and neither can anyone in this thread, but I would anticipate that it would be pretty likely. You're also likely to face some degree of intolerance in this thread for your fairly weak troll.
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Dec 23, 2012 06:33
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Snowy posted:I've been meaning to get a bottle of this: Old Master's is a pretty cool blended whisky. It's sweeter than you'd anticipate, cut with a fair amount of grain, but actually has a surprisingly deep character for what it is. It's ranked fairly highly in the Whisky Bible. I got a bottle as a gift for a brother last Christmas and we've both enjoyed it. 7thBatallion posted:Would it be completely uncool to have the square and compasses sealed n wax on the bottles. Cool but potentially hairy territory depending on your Grand Lodge. I'm sure in Washington you'd be fine, but it's worth noting that the Square and Compasses is not allowed for use as a trademark except by the Grand Lodge for each jurisdiction, with a notable exception being a cattle brand that predates the trademark registry in the US. As for whether to flavor your mead, well, that depends heavily on the quality of your honey.
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Dec 23, 2012 06:37
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Paramemetic posted:Edit: on a serious note, the postal service doesn't care about the name on the address, just the address and the Zip Code. Name only comes up if it's a "signature needed" and even then only if the dude is busting your chops, and you just have to print as well as sign. I had to sign for a package once while wearing a sleeveless shirt, and it turned out one of my mailmen (depending on the day) is a PH Brother. ("ONE OF US! ONE OF US!") He'd seen the stuff on my car and then saw my tattoo and finally made the appropriate inquiries. 7thBatallion posted:So I'm going to be making mead over the next six months . . . Would it be completely uncool to have the square and compasses sealed n wax on the bottles. Brother, I would love to purchase a couple bottles of your fine product, if you are to make it available. You should also make up some old-timey labels, like: https://www.google.com/search?q=patent+medicine+labels mrbill fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Dec 23, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2012 08:08
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Paramemetic posted:Cool but potentially hairy territory depending on your Grand Lodge. I'm sure in Washington you'd be fine, but it's worth noting that the Square and Compasses is not allowed for use as a trademark except by the Grand Lodge for each jurisdiction, with a notable exception being a cattle brand that predates the trademark registry in the US. I'm not selling this, just making it for my own will and pleasure. And giving it to fellow Brothers out of state assuming they can chip in for shipping. And yeah, mulled spice mead, aged 7 months. I'll start working on it around my birthday. It'll be done in August, shipping in September, in 8 oz potion style bottles. Assuming I actually do this. Brother Maser's mulled honey elixir. Instantaneous cure for sleeplessness, depression, toothache, arthritis, catharsis, and all manner of injuries. Cures malaria, asthma, baldness, dysentery, and the common cold. Cuts will leave no scars, old injuries will heal. Mends broken bones. Results guaranteed! With the bible opened to Psalms 133 and the square and compasses aligned as for an EAM Inn place of whatever on the label.. Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Dec 23, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2012 11:56
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The Cleaner posted:I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. http://www.kofc.org Edit: the knights of Columbus give us dirty looks every year at a local annual chili cook off. Lovable Luciferian fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Dec 23, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2012 12:57
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The Cleaner posted:I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. Intolerance, yes. But let's focus on the actual reasons you might not be allowed to join. You are half black - this is *not* a problem in any jurisdiction (but as with anything race-related, YMMV). You say you were born to slave owners - if your parents owned slaves, then (while deplorable) this wouldn't prevent you from meeting the requirements. If your parents *were* slaves, and the terms of their slavery included that you were born as the property of their owners, then that would prevent it. You identify as male, but born transgender? I'm not sure what it means to be born transgender, as that's not something I've been exposed to. I know that at the very least, my state (Florida) requires a candidate to have been born physically male, to physically still be male, and to dress and act as a male while at any masonic event or meeting. Do you fit those requirements? Your choice of religion, while uncommon, probably wouldn't prevent you from joining. You may not want to mention it though, as the being you vilify as the creator is seen by most western religions as the opponent to G-d. I think the major issues you'd face are the gender issue and the freeborn issue, but primarily the gender one. It can be argued that "all people are born free".
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Dec 23, 2012 16:10
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7thBatallion posted:But I'm only an EAM... Well now, I've been looking to get a good seal made. Thaks for the site! (Unrelated to masonry, but it works anyway.)
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Dec 23, 2012 16:19
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Ari posted:my state (Florida) requires a candidate to have been born physically male, to physically still be male, and to dress and act as a male while at any masonic event or meeting.
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Dec 23, 2012 16:29
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Ari posted:I know that at the very least, my state (Florida) requires a candidate to have been born physically male, to physically still be male, and to dress and act as a male while at any masonic event or meeting. Do you fit those requirements? Please tell me you're kidding.
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Dec 23, 2012 16:47
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WAFFLEHOUND posted:Please tell me you're kidding. Would you expect any less from that state's Grand Lodge?
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Dec 23, 2012 19:17
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mrbill posted:Brother, I would love to purchase a couple bottles of your fine product, if you are to make it available. You should also make up some old-timey labels, like: As would I. Produce mass quantities. Please.
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Dec 23, 2012 19:26
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I'm in no rush to prove up to Fellowcraft, my coach wants me to hurry the process up, but I'm all about taking my time. Is that a bad thing? If I take a year or so to make it to Master, will it be some mark against me?
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Dec 24, 2012 01:24
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7thBatallion posted:I'm in no rush to prove up to Fellowcraft, my coach wants me to hurry the process up, but I'm all about taking my time. Is that a bad thing? If I take a year or so to make it to Master, will it be some mark against me? Take your time and do what you need to do at your speed. Only you can decide what speed is right for you. Everyone has a suggestion or a "right" way, but what is right for them may not be right foot you. I know guys who took years others who did it significantly faster all are brothers
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Dec 24, 2012 01:36
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The Cleaner posted:I hope to someday join a Free Mason lodge. They seem like a great way to better myself and the world around me. However, a little about myself.. Not a problem Not realistically a problem as I can't see any lodge caring enough to enforce this idea and easily rationalized away as everyone is free regardless of status. But on technicalities this could prove an issue. This is the only sticking point, depending on jurisdiction, I'd certainly never vote down someone who identified as male Not a problem. Such a person would face no more intolerance in masonry than they'd otherwise face in the world. Aureus fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Dec 24, 2012 |
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Dec 24, 2012 01:38
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7thBatallion posted:I'm in no rush to prove up to Fellowcraft, my coach wants me to hurry the process up, but I'm all about taking my time. Is that a bad thing? If I take a year or so to make it to Master, will it be some mark against me? I visited my lodge's table lodges for a year before initiation, and then took a year to do Fellowcraft. In a few months I'll have the third degree, two and a half years after first contacting the lodge. I could have gone a little faster, but not by much. My lodge tends to want people to pace their progression and that really helped draw me to them in the first place. I say savor the degrees and take your time.
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Dec 24, 2012 01:50
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Serious question here. Are your executive committee appointments 1 year, or more. And if not, can a member currently holding office run for reelection. I am an alumnus member of a college fraternal organization (Kapppa Sigma) that has obvious roots in the Masonic model. I ask because I'm interested in how much long term control/impact your executive committee has. Is it possible for someone to run a "chapter", or whatever term you use, for multiple and/or indefinite length? I think I know the answer already, but is it possible for a small group of members to hold sway over control of a lodge for a long period of time? In college fraternities the turnover is fairly quick, understandably. How is it for your organization? I certainly appreciate the ideals of your order, and have been interested in joining the local in Tampa, although some of Florida's more stupid elements seem to have infiltrated most of your interpretations as to the purpose of the order. Does anyone else walk the fence as far as being members of both the Masons, as well as being an alumni of a college Greek organization, and what are your thought on the dual obligations/purposes, if this is real or applicable. Sorry about all or the slashes, I guess I'm ultimately wondering if being involved in a college organization and being a Mason at the same time are compatible. legendaryRev fucked around with this message at 05:31 on Dec 24, 2012 |
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Dec 24, 2012 05:21
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Snowy posted:I say savor the degrees and take your time. I've heard this from many different people online, but then I've read about the popularity of the "one-day mason" classes in a few states. While I understand the idea of learning as much as you can at each step, is there really a benefit to taking time between, or did you learn more after and looking back on it? I guess in many ways, its going to be at the preference of the local lodge, but they're doing them in 11 cities in Ohio this year, expecting thousands of attendees.
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Dec 24, 2012 05:51
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legendaryRev posted:Sorry about all or the slashes, I guess I'm ultimately wondering if being involved in a college organization and being a Mason at the same time are compatible. This isn't an issue I can speak to directly, but several members of my lodge are members of Sigma Chi, alumni and current (I reside in a college town). They don't see a conflict in their dual membership and all of them speak well of their greek experiences. As for a small clique "controlling" a lodge for an extended period of time; this, like many things masonic, varies from lodge to lodge. The short answer is that yes, it could certainly happen, masonry being after all an organization no less vulnerable to internal politics that any other human enterprise. There are certain aspects of masonic politics on the lodge and grand lodge level that I personally feel are vulnerable to manipulation. Whether or not this is a problem varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Ideally everyone involved takes their obligations seriously and also obeys Wheaton's law, but again, masonry is made up of fallible human beings. In practice it is typical for the same individuals to be re-elected to multiple terms as treasurer and secretary, as these offices both benefit from an incumbents experience and involve a lot of organizational work that not everyone wishes to volunteer for. Secretaries in particular can accumulate a certain amount of influence over their terms. In lodges with smaller memberships the same individuals do often repeatedly hold the same offices, but if/when membership sees an increase they are usually happy step aside in favor of new blood. Hope that answers your questions, but note that this is all based on my own personal experiences, others will certainly hold different opinions.
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Dec 24, 2012 06:23
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Snowy posted:I've been meaning to get a bottle of this: It's called Old Master's, yet the [REDACTED] are arranged for a [REDACTED] Kilo147 fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Dec 24, 2012 |
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Dec 24, 2012 06:30
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Glorified Scrivener posted:This isn't an issue I can speak to directly, but several members of my lodge are members of Sigma Chi, alumni and current (I reside in a college town). They don't see a conflict in their dual membership and all of them speak well of their greek experiences. I guess that my question then pertains to the other people in office, what we would call Grand Master of Ceremonies(the person who most of the time deals with pledges, new membership, and ritual in general), the Grand Procurator, who deals with enforcement of the rules, and punishments, which most organizations would refer to as a Vice President, and a Grand Master, who is the main driving force of the chapter, or lodge, much as a president would. While I understand that secretaries and treasurers hold a certain amount of influence through their positions, what about the most high positions? is there much turnover from year to year, or is it primarily driven by a select few?
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Dec 24, 2012 06:52
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7thBatallion posted:It's called Old Master's, yet the compasses are arranged for EDIT Is that one of the things we are supposed to talk about? I've been unclear on that one for a long time.
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Dec 24, 2012 07:17
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The thing you guys are redacting and such I consider "secret" since it is part of the examination and so could be used as a mode of recognition. A general rule of thumb if you have rituals/monitors/manuals from your Grand Lodge is whether or not it is in code. If it's in code, don't talk about it. If it's written in the ritual book in plain language, it's probably okay. Thus we can't talk about REDACTED, but we can talk about the white lambskin apron. That said, 7th: it is accurate for a specific era to which I believe it is intending to allude, and also for some countries, just depending on how the degrees are structured. But there's a lot of symbolism on those bottles and they are very cool to have around. I don't drink anymore, but it's one of the bottles I won't be getting rid of, as it's a very cool bottle.
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Dec 24, 2012 08:02
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Just a tip for the new guys. Be careful when riding the REDACTED. drat thing took a bite out of my new suit! 
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Dec 24, 2012 08:35
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legendaryRev posted:I guess that my question then pertains to the other people in office, what we would call Grand Master of Ceremonies(the person who most of the time deals with pledges, new membership, and ritual in general), the Grand Procurator, who deals with enforcement of the rules, and punishments, which most organizations would refer to as a Vice President, and a Grand Master, who is the main driving force of the chapter, or lodge, much as a president would. While I understand that secretaries and treasurers hold a certain amount of influence through their positions, what about the most high positions? is there much turnover from year to year, or is it primarily driven by a select few? It all depends on the lodge to be honest. I would say that most lodges you will find several officers that have been in their seat for a very long time, usually the treasurer, and secretary (especially the secretary). Also, depending upon how many members you have and how willing they are to take on a leadership role within the lodge, you will often find other positions filled by the same person for multiple years and in some cases individuals that have held it in the past will come back and fill it due to a lack of new blood. As far as influence goes, yes, these members that are often called upon to serve as officers or have served as officers in a particular position for a great deal of time have a bit more clout. The lodge is still controlled by it's members, and every candidate for office (besides a few WM appointed seats) is voted upon by the members. In my lodge, the secretary, assistant secretary, organist, chaplain, treasurer and lodge education officer were all fairly static. In my Commandery, the secretary, treasurer and the lower officers were also fairly static before my group came through. Sometimes these static seats breed corruption, like what I saw with my Commandery and to a lesser extent my blue lodge, but other times everything works out well and you have a great group of guys. I served two terms as Commander (back to back) which is largely due to the size of the Knights Templar. Surprisingly, my blue lodge which was the largest in the state with over 2,000 members on the roster also often had the WM serving consecutive terms. Straithate fucked around with this message at 08:56 on Dec 24, 2012 |
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Dec 24, 2012 08:51
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INTJ Mastermind posted:Just a tip for the new guys. Be careful when riding the REDACTED. drat thing took a bite out of my new suit! Your birthday suit?
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Dec 24, 2012 15:33
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