Guard the West Gate?!

After reading through the blogs and boards, I have found one phrase that has been driving me insane. What is that phrase? "Guard the West Gate." Urgh!!! Every time I read that phrase, it makes me so mad that....



Argh, Nick Mad!!!!!
From whom are we guarding the West Gate? I continue to read many brothers who seek to restrict membership to the point of idiocy. They attack Shriners for being to big and they find One-Day Masons to be fake. If a brother does not attend every meeting, they believe the brother is somehow destroying Freemasonry. Now, I realize that most brothers who participate on message boards and write blogs are like myself, extremely passionate about Masonry.

It appears to me that if we are to guard the West Gate, then we must guard it from both sides, those men who really are problematic if they join the Lodge and those brothers that seek to prevent good men from entering into the Lodge. We already have ways to prevent men of questionable qualifications from entering our doors; it's called an investigation. These passionate brothers seek to close the door, leaving only a crack. They really are not seeking good men but men that are mirror images of themselves. But take a look in the mirror, are you the best man in Freemasonry? If you answered yes, I have some bad news for you, you're not . This excuse has been used for many evil purposes such as keeping good minority candidates from entering the Lodge. Yet it continues to pop up in people's arguments. It is a cliché, people.

Obviously, I do not seek to end the investigation of candidates but I suggest to those brothers on the other side of the door that they might look at themselves first before casting judgment on worthy candidates. Remember where you came from, stop and think. Unfortunately, I must end this article with another Masonic cliché. Our Fraternity seeks "to make good men better." We are not asking for Adonis only to enter the door but all good men who seek to be improved. Yet, we still hear brothers, on every blog and message board, use the excuse that we must "Guard the West Gate." They forget that we all enter into the Lodge as rough ashlars seeking to be improved. Masonry is about self-improvement and societal improvement and we, as a society, do a great job finding good men to improve.

Ahh, better.
Okay, that was cathartic. At least "The Incredible Hulk" is on,

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: Harvey Birdman

One of the most gripping attorney shows on TV is Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Just kidding! One of my favorite lines (especially fitting for a law student) is: "Debbie, we're going to need some law books. With pictures this time." Enjoy!

*Update*
Oops, sorry I didn't explain the clip better. "Harvey Birdman" is a cartoon on Cartoon Network that takes the characters from the Hanna-Barbara show "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio" and changes them into lawyers. Harvey Birdman defends different cartoon characters of the Hanna-Barbara universe. This clip comes from the episode, "Birdgirl of Guantanomole" in which Birdgirl and Birdman have to defend Morocco Mole who has been imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

MN Kids ID at the Fair

My wife and I will be working the Kids ID booth this weekend at the Minnesota State Fair. I have worked a Kids ID booth before at the local celebratory days in Farmington but I have never worked "the Fair". For those unfamiliar with the Minnesota State Fair, it is the biggest celebration in the state; it ranks second in attendance after Texas. I, for one, am excited to eat my usual favorites: cheese curds and a rib sandwich.

Here is a fun fact about the MN State Fair: On Sept. 2, 1901, Brother Teddy Roosevelt gave his famous "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" Speech at the MN State Fair. Days later, he became president after President and (Brother) William McKinley was assassinated.

Change…It Does a Body Good

Since participating in the "Table Talk" on Masonic Central, I have been thinking long and hard about an idea that slipped out during recording. The idea of whether the Fraternity needs to focus heavily on the past. I mentioned that we need to focus less on Ben Franklin and George Washington and more about the future. Oddly enough, last week, Brother Ed King posted an article called “The Old Webmaster and much needed change.” Let’s just say I was shocked.

In the article, he states that a young Junior Warden (not to be egotistical but me, maybe?) wants to change the way in which the Lodge is run, such as raising dues, making men wait longer for degrees, and focusing on making the ritual great. The Old Webmaster states that maybe there is something wrong at home. What, what, what, what?! Attempting to change how the Lodge is run, but it is the individual brother's problems at home?!

There is no lying that Freemasonry is in trouble; our numbers are declining and we have tried different programs to bring brothers into the Fraternity. Grand Lodges are attempting to bring us back to glory with some succeeding well while some are failing miserably. Yet, the problem has nothing to do with the Lodge, but an individual brother and his problems at home?

I would like to focus on what we, as Freemasons, must do in these trying times. During the Golden Age of Fraternity, our numbers swelled, we built Lodges and massive buildings and charities galore. It is no accident that the tallest building in Chicago from 1890 to 1895 was a Masonic building. After World War II, membership in civic organizations boomed as they had during the Golden Age. These were times of great building.

During these crests in membership, we built huge institutions and great projects. Then, the Fraternity would hit a trough and it was by maintenance that we stayed together just as any great structure but lately, there has been little preservation paid to these great buildings, both as institutions and as actual physical presences. We have entered a rut, but the dream is not lost.

Even in talking of gloom and doom, there are flickers of hope. In my Grand Lodge, we are seeing a resurgence of Masonic interest. My Grand Lodge has donated $65 million dollars to the University of Minnesota for the Masonic Cancer Center, the largest gift ever for the University. Grand Lodges, such as my own, are discovering the power of the Internet yet we continue to hear that the old ways are the best ways.

We do need to make changes, nevertheless. Many Lodges are still dying throughout the country and their buildings are being sold off without a second thought. Many Lodges continue upon old worn-out programs without understanding the expectations of new brothers. Instead of covering our eyes and saying that everything is okay, we need the facts brought to light. Freemasonry is an ancient organization yet it has been so successful because it is able to morph and change with the times while maintaining its basic components. When the Masonic Lodges began to meet, they met in taverns. Afterward, in the United States, the rise of the temperance movement made what was once a normal part of Lodge life, alcohol, completely banned in many Grand Lodge jurisdictions. Even today, these temperance laws are still on the books in some Grand Lodge constitutions.

It is time to get our heads out of the sand and assume that Freemasonry will weather the newest storm as it has before. Unlike what happened during other low periods, the maintenance to our great creations has not been kept up; if we aren’t careful, we are doomed to fail.

The brothers of my Lodge and I developed some suggestions we want to see in Lodge. These suggestions to maintain and continue the greatness of our Fraternity are:

1. More Masonic Education
2. Strong Ritual
3. Meals before Lodge
4. Mentoring of New Brothers

I have only listed four proposals that my brothers and I thought of but we have many more. Honestly though, the desire to change things does not mean problems at home or that it is a substitute for something missing in life, brothers seek change to make the Fraternity their own, to make Freemasonry better and to maintain what we have already built. Masonry is a progressive science and if we are to survive, we must adapt. If we don't invite young brothers into the fold, they will be "Waiting on the World to Change".

Pop Culture and Freemasonry: The Daily Show

There was a dangerous chemical being sold in towns throughout the United States. Its name: Silly String. Steve Carrell gave his report in 1999 of what was a hazardous trend affecting Shriners and children alike.