Recently, in response to a post on this blog, my dear Brother Howard Roark mentioned that law is designed to keep the peace. This sent me on one of those thought trains that I have a tendency to free load upon.
What is the purpose of law? Some would argue (I am in this group) that law exists to ensure the rights of individuals and that the only laws that we should have are those relating to force and fraud. Others would argue that law exists to keep the peace.
If we are to approach the "keep the peace" idea we will at first be inclined to agree. Then the ugly human element enters the picture. The old saying of "the Nazis made the trains run on time" comes to mind. While gloomy in substance we are introduced to a law and order society that was designed to protect the state and to keep the peace. The problem with this idea is that eventually the society would be burdened with government (which will have to grow just to enforce the laws).
The problem with the "ensure the rights" approach to law is that it requires and needs the citizens to be active participants in the exercise of their rights. It also requires a respect for the rights of others.
Comments? Thoughts?
Brandt
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Your Rebate Check
What are you going to do with your rebate check? I know that I will have the opportunity to look directly at it for a moment before my Lady Love snatches and does something responsible with it like pay down a bill or some such nonsense. I imagine that many of you out there in radio land are in the same situation as I am in that regard.
An interesting point of discussion that I would like to hear your opinions on. The government has determined that giving us a "rebate check" will stimulate the economy. If this is true does it not go to reason that taxing us in the first place interferes with the economy? Perhaps we could have a grand experiment in this country and suspend on personal taxes for the a period of one year. I wonder what that would do for the country's economy? Of course I am one of those nuts that doesn't believe that it would amount to much as we are working with a fiat currency. I would like to see a return to a true objective value (gold standard - gold coins - real money) that is not tied to a government but to the market itself.
Opinions? Comments?
Brandt
An interesting point of discussion that I would like to hear your opinions on. The government has determined that giving us a "rebate check" will stimulate the economy. If this is true does it not go to reason that taxing us in the first place interferes with the economy? Perhaps we could have a grand experiment in this country and suspend on personal taxes for the a period of one year. I wonder what that would do for the country's economy? Of course I am one of those nuts that doesn't believe that it would amount to much as we are working with a fiat currency. I would like to see a return to a true objective value (gold standard - gold coins - real money) that is not tied to a government but to the market itself.
Opinions? Comments?
Brandt
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Law
Is there a verifiable set of moral laws? Is there a set of laws that is naturally just and pure of intention? If this set of laws does exist where is it?
Some would offer the Christian Bible (which version I don’t know), the Muslim Quran, of the Jewish Torah as a source of moral and just laws. This is not supported by fact. “Thou shall not kill.” This law or commandment is often quoted and often broken. From the basis of that law some states of the United States execute people. If thou shall not kill is a solid law then we cannot execute. (I am just using this as an example – don’t go off the deep end and start discussing translation issues – focus people).
Perhaps we can reduce the entire corpus of law to restrictions on the use of force? Simply put, initiation of force is illegal. If one initiates force then the injured parties are within their rights to respond with force.
Does this sum up the entire purpose of moral and just law?
Brandt
Some would offer the Christian Bible (which version I don’t know), the Muslim Quran, of the Jewish Torah as a source of moral and just laws. This is not supported by fact. “Thou shall not kill.” This law or commandment is often quoted and often broken. From the basis of that law some states of the United States execute people. If thou shall not kill is a solid law then we cannot execute. (I am just using this as an example – don’t go off the deep end and start discussing translation issues – focus people).
Perhaps we can reduce the entire corpus of law to restrictions on the use of force? Simply put, initiation of force is illegal. If one initiates force then the injured parties are within their rights to respond with force.
Does this sum up the entire purpose of moral and just law?
Brandt
Monday, January 21, 2008
Take a Moment to reflect
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.
We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
We can never be satisfied as long as our chlidren are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only."
We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
There it is Brothers, there is nothing more that I could ever add to that.
Brandt
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.
We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
We can never be satisfied as long as our chlidren are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only."
We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
There it is Brothers, there is nothing more that I could ever add to that.
Brandt
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Form and Function
There are two aspects of Free Masonry that are often confused as the same thing. They are not the same thing. The most apparent aspect of Free Masonry is the administrative body that “governs” a group of lodges. The second aspect, which is the most important, is the initiatic experience in the fraternity. The administrative aspect of a group of lodges cannot provide the initiatic aspect. These two aspects of Free Masonry can be mutually exclusive.
The administrative aspect of Free Masonry serves several valuable purposes. A grand lodge can facilitate communications between the various lodges. This is a very important purpose for a grand lodge. A grand lodge can also serve to arbitrate disputes between lodges. The grand lodge also exists to maintain the rules agreed upon by the Brethren within their lodges. Finally, the grand lodge exists to act as a “spokesman” for the organization of lodges so that they may more efficiently interact with other groups of lodges.
In all Masonic grand jurisdictions around the world there are only two models of government that are used. One model is the “power model” in which sovereignty is conferred upon the grand jurisdiction and the lodges have agreed to follow the lead of the sovereign body. There is a delicate balance in this model that must be maintained to ensure the health and viability of the organization. The balance that must be struck is that the grand jurisdiction must balance its supreme authority with the service that it owes to its lodges. The flaw in this system resides in the aristocratic fallacy. Masons laboring under this type of system must be very vigilant as to whom they elect to serve in the grand officer positions. The Masons laboring under this type of system need a mechanism in place to assure that they are able to insure that they are getting the proper leadership. A Grand Master under this system presides as the sole leader. He often has a retinue of staff that assists as advisors.
The second model of the administrative aspect of Free Masonry is the “liberty model.” Under this model of government sovereignty resides in the lodges of this group. The grand jurisdiction has no powers not specifically granted to them by the lodges. Of course this system can turn into a power model system if the lodges are not consistent in maintaining their sovereignty. This particular model also has a delicate balance that must be maintained. The balance is that of lodges having to exercise their sovereignty at all times. The flaw in this system resides in the democratic fallacy. Masons laboring under this system must be very vigilant in exercising and maintaining their sovereignty. They must also participate in their organization in an active manner. In order to do this the Brethren laboring under this system must be educated on how to proceed within their governmental system. Absolute transparency in government is required for this system to operate correctly.
If we take the power model as the thesis and the liberty model as the anti-thesis there is an apparent synthesis. Is there a way in which we can balance sovereignty at the highest levels with the inalienable rights of the Brethren at the lodge level? I am unconvinced at this point as to the viability of a synthesis between the power model and the liberty model. Further research and social experimentation is required.
Travel well Brothers
The administrative aspect of Free Masonry serves several valuable purposes. A grand lodge can facilitate communications between the various lodges. This is a very important purpose for a grand lodge. A grand lodge can also serve to arbitrate disputes between lodges. The grand lodge also exists to maintain the rules agreed upon by the Brethren within their lodges. Finally, the grand lodge exists to act as a “spokesman” for the organization of lodges so that they may more efficiently interact with other groups of lodges.
In all Masonic grand jurisdictions around the world there are only two models of government that are used. One model is the “power model” in which sovereignty is conferred upon the grand jurisdiction and the lodges have agreed to follow the lead of the sovereign body. There is a delicate balance in this model that must be maintained to ensure the health and viability of the organization. The balance that must be struck is that the grand jurisdiction must balance its supreme authority with the service that it owes to its lodges. The flaw in this system resides in the aristocratic fallacy. Masons laboring under this type of system must be very vigilant as to whom they elect to serve in the grand officer positions. The Masons laboring under this type of system need a mechanism in place to assure that they are able to insure that they are getting the proper leadership. A Grand Master under this system presides as the sole leader. He often has a retinue of staff that assists as advisors.
The second model of the administrative aspect of Free Masonry is the “liberty model.” Under this model of government sovereignty resides in the lodges of this group. The grand jurisdiction has no powers not specifically granted to them by the lodges. Of course this system can turn into a power model system if the lodges are not consistent in maintaining their sovereignty. This particular model also has a delicate balance that must be maintained. The balance is that of lodges having to exercise their sovereignty at all times. The flaw in this system resides in the democratic fallacy. Masons laboring under this system must be very vigilant in exercising and maintaining their sovereignty. They must also participate in their organization in an active manner. In order to do this the Brethren laboring under this system must be educated on how to proceed within their governmental system. Absolute transparency in government is required for this system to operate correctly.
If we take the power model as the thesis and the liberty model as the anti-thesis there is an apparent synthesis. Is there a way in which we can balance sovereignty at the highest levels with the inalienable rights of the Brethren at the lodge level? I am unconvinced at this point as to the viability of a synthesis between the power model and the liberty model. Further research and social experimentation is required.
Travel well Brothers
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Caput Lupinum
The Latin phrase “caput lupinum” means to “have the head of a wolf.” This colorful phrase was applied to convicted criminals or “outlaws.” I urge you to wear the head of a wolf. Hear me out.
There are two things that I would like to talk about right now in relation to this. The first is the nature of the law and idolatry. The second is how slaves are made. Each of these two topics is related philosophically. Hopefully through this discussion I will be able to explain why every good citizen and Mason should have the head of a wolf.
Law is established to protect the citizens of a nation or organization and to fulfill the fundamental premises of that nation or organization. Since the law is blind, and often dumb, it is necessary that there be juries in our courts. A jury is not charged with interpreting law. They are charged with determining right or wrong. For example, it is illegal to exceed the posted speed limits. If you had a child about to die you should speed if necessary to get the child to the proper medical attention to save the child’s life. You did break the law but justice is served by determining that you were right to break the law.
A few years ago I did a paper on religion itself becoming an idol that is worshipped. In other words there are some that get so wrapped up in a religion that they begin to worship the religion rather than God. This is idolatry. On the same token there are those that believe so strongly in the law that they forget justice. This is contrary to the spirit and purpose of the law. I would go so far that it is even contrary to the spirit and purpose of the nation or organization that wrote the laws in question. When the law is applied without even a nod to justice then the law has become a tool of restriction rather than justice and should not be obeyed by any thinking man. Justice is far more important than law.
This is why I urge Masons and citizens to be outlaws in the philosophic sense. Support justice not laws. Support right, not expediency. Support the spirit and purpose, not the shell. Unfortunately juveniles are not well equipped to handle this. In order for law to morally valid it must be in support justice. It should never be law for the sake of law.
Before I move into this next section, involving slavery, I would like to extend thanks to an old teacher of mine who taught me the lessons that I will now share with you. RD, if you are reading this, thank you. I hope that your former pupil is not such a huge disappointment.
Pardon the allegory, but this is how I was taught.
There is no distinctive difference between a wolf pup and common dog puppy. They exhibit many of the same mannerisms. The difference becomes apparent at maturity. One day a wolf pup becomes a wolf (adult), a dog puppy remains a puppy no matter how old it gets. Dogs were made from wolves on purpose. To change wolves into dogs one must only feed the pups and discourage adult behavior. One more thing, kill those that show too much aggression or resistance. This creates a climate in which the puppy’s survival is predicated on the benevolence of the slaver/breeder. Juvenile behavior and reliance becomes what is needed to survive for the pup. So the wolf becomes a dog in order to survive. Patrick Henry is rolling over in his grave.
Slaves are made of human beings in much the same manner. It is the encouragement of juvenile behavior in adult animals. The adult juvenile (dog) will never actualize his potentials and become a functioning adult (wolf) because its survival or acceptance is predicated on maintaining juvenile behavior. Chains make only prisoners, not slaves. Harriet Tubman ran into the slave mentality during her work on the “Underground Railroad.” She carried a pistol. She carried the pistol not only to deal with lawmen (remember how law is supposed to serve justice not the other way around) and slave hunters but to deal with slaves that would change their minds and want to go back.
That is why I encourage people, citizens, and Free Masons to have the head of a wolf. Serve Justice, serve Right, serve the cause of freedom.
Brandt Smith
WM Euclid Lodge
There are two things that I would like to talk about right now in relation to this. The first is the nature of the law and idolatry. The second is how slaves are made. Each of these two topics is related philosophically. Hopefully through this discussion I will be able to explain why every good citizen and Mason should have the head of a wolf.
Law is established to protect the citizens of a nation or organization and to fulfill the fundamental premises of that nation or organization. Since the law is blind, and often dumb, it is necessary that there be juries in our courts. A jury is not charged with interpreting law. They are charged with determining right or wrong. For example, it is illegal to exceed the posted speed limits. If you had a child about to die you should speed if necessary to get the child to the proper medical attention to save the child’s life. You did break the law but justice is served by determining that you were right to break the law.
A few years ago I did a paper on religion itself becoming an idol that is worshipped. In other words there are some that get so wrapped up in a religion that they begin to worship the religion rather than God. This is idolatry. On the same token there are those that believe so strongly in the law that they forget justice. This is contrary to the spirit and purpose of the law. I would go so far that it is even contrary to the spirit and purpose of the nation or organization that wrote the laws in question. When the law is applied without even a nod to justice then the law has become a tool of restriction rather than justice and should not be obeyed by any thinking man. Justice is far more important than law.
This is why I urge Masons and citizens to be outlaws in the philosophic sense. Support justice not laws. Support right, not expediency. Support the spirit and purpose, not the shell. Unfortunately juveniles are not well equipped to handle this. In order for law to morally valid it must be in support justice. It should never be law for the sake of law.
Before I move into this next section, involving slavery, I would like to extend thanks to an old teacher of mine who taught me the lessons that I will now share with you. RD, if you are reading this, thank you. I hope that your former pupil is not such a huge disappointment.
Pardon the allegory, but this is how I was taught.
There is no distinctive difference between a wolf pup and common dog puppy. They exhibit many of the same mannerisms. The difference becomes apparent at maturity. One day a wolf pup becomes a wolf (adult), a dog puppy remains a puppy no matter how old it gets. Dogs were made from wolves on purpose. To change wolves into dogs one must only feed the pups and discourage adult behavior. One more thing, kill those that show too much aggression or resistance. This creates a climate in which the puppy’s survival is predicated on the benevolence of the slaver/breeder. Juvenile behavior and reliance becomes what is needed to survive for the pup. So the wolf becomes a dog in order to survive. Patrick Henry is rolling over in his grave.
Slaves are made of human beings in much the same manner. It is the encouragement of juvenile behavior in adult animals. The adult juvenile (dog) will never actualize his potentials and become a functioning adult (wolf) because its survival or acceptance is predicated on maintaining juvenile behavior. Chains make only prisoners, not slaves. Harriet Tubman ran into the slave mentality during her work on the “Underground Railroad.” She carried a pistol. She carried the pistol not only to deal with lawmen (remember how law is supposed to serve justice not the other way around) and slave hunters but to deal with slaves that would change their minds and want to go back.
That is why I encourage people, citizens, and Free Masons to have the head of a wolf. Serve Justice, serve Right, serve the cause of freedom.
Brandt Smith
WM Euclid Lodge
The Level
We claim to meet on the level. What is this level? Obviously it has something to do with how we interact and relate to each other. To meet on the level we must first understand the nature of honorable relationships.
We must recognize the rights inherent to the individual Mason. We must interact in a manner that does not interfere with the rights inherent to the individual Mason. The level is reason. Reason must govern our conduct and relationships. Fear cannot be the motivating factor on our level. Fear of celestial boogey man does not make men moral. Reason and respect is the basis of morality.
When we are able to meet using reason and respecting the individual rights we have met on the level. There will be disputes. That is to be expected. These disputes should be met with reason and respect. Meeting in this manner, on the level, allows us to negotiate a settlement of the dispute. Those who refuse to do so have abandoned the level.
Abandoning the level is “un-Masonic” because it is contrary to the fundamental teachings of the Craft. This should not be accepted. Working tools can be dangerous.
We must recognize the rights inherent to the individual Mason. We must interact in a manner that does not interfere with the rights inherent to the individual Mason. The level is reason. Reason must govern our conduct and relationships. Fear cannot be the motivating factor on our level. Fear of celestial boogey man does not make men moral. Reason and respect is the basis of morality.
When we are able to meet using reason and respecting the individual rights we have met on the level. There will be disputes. That is to be expected. These disputes should be met with reason and respect. Meeting in this manner, on the level, allows us to negotiate a settlement of the dispute. Those who refuse to do so have abandoned the level.
Abandoning the level is “un-Masonic” because it is contrary to the fundamental teachings of the Craft. This should not be accepted. Working tools can be dangerous.
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