Do you agree with the results of Annual Communications

[rpbrown]

As stated , do you agree with the results?

How about the way the very close votes were handled?

 

[relapse98]

Generally the votes went the way I expected, especially after things were explained (like the table lodge recommendation).

I think a number of the close votes were VERY close. I think electronic voting would have changed the results on a couple.. it just seemed from my viewpoint that they were WAY too close to just eyeball them. When you have to have everyone stand up multiple times and get the Grand Deacons involved... its close.

I also think we voted in something that's going to be redone in a few years. We removed the prohibition against convicted felons petitioning, however we voted in to require background checks. Come again? So we can allow felons but they still have to have a background check that tells us they are a felon? Seems counterintuitive to me. I wish with all the talk about walls and getting sued that we had amended that recommendation to only have added paragraph 38 to Article 505. Make the use etc. of a background check a disciplinary procedure to protect ourselves from getting sued under the fair credit reporting act but leave out the rest out requiring the petitioner to get a background check done, which seems really unnecessary with the passage of resolution 12.

On a side note: It seems to me that its unnecessary to run grand lodge and the subordinate lodges with a law book as thick as ours is. Its ridiculous that it takes that much. The law should be something like.. remember your obligation, do unto others as you would wish they do unto you. the end.

 

[dfreybur]

Fail RESOLUTION NO. 3 pg 64 Assessment to repair the GL building

That's a topic discussed many times on this forum. IMO it's an albatross. My bias - One of my jurisdictions flourishes with only a tiny leased office space.

Fail RESOLUTION NO. 5 pg 67 Transferable endowed membership

IMO if you can afford one endowment there's a good chance you can afford more. So far I've purchased 2 in 2 different states.

Fail RESOLUTION NO. 6 pg 69 Moves trust fund rules closer to the standard

I find the failure of this one puzzling. Right now the rules for distribution are broken - When interest rates are the lowest that tends to be the time distributions are needed the most. Moving distribution rules closer to the standard 4% would improve the situation in good times and bad.

Pass RESOLUTION NO. 7 pg 70 Use Delaware laws for the endowment trust

Nice but I'm puzzled why Texas doesn't have adequate trust laws in place. That's a civics issue not a Masonic issue though.

Fail RESOLUTION NO. 14 pg 95 Allow concealed carry or police to be armed

My bias - In my mother jurisdiction this rule has been in place longer than anyone remembers. The brother who initiated me is a Deputy Sheriff and his piece was in a sack quietly tucked under his chair during my degree. That's where it always was during every meeting he attended and he was not the only sworn peace officer who attended regularly. Few noticed and none objected and that was in California. The ritual talks about preparation of candidates and about the candidate putting himself in the hands of trustworthy friends. Our obligations don't interfere with the duty our civic employees owe to their employers.

Pass RESOLUTION NO. 17 pg 97 Broaden scope of cornerstone ceremonies

I approve of the good PR that gets generated.

Pass RESOLUTION NO. 20 pg 100 Allow non-PM images of deceased brothers in lodges

I like going to lodge and seeing portraits of George Washington and Harry Truman neither of whom were ever members of any of my jurisdictions.

Pass RESOLUTION NO. 22 pg 102 Sooner deadlines to submit legislation

I get that the extra month makes the paperwork go smoother, but this also means that the brethren only have Jan-Apr to stump support for any submission.

Fail RESOLUTION NO. 23 pg 104 Add closing benediction to 1st and 2nd degrees

Ritual differences state to state and degree to degree are fun.

Fail Recommendation No. 1 pg 115 Strategic planning committee

It is beyond my comprehension that such a committee has not been in place for decades.

Amended pass Recommendation No. 3 pg 121 Local variation for Table Lodge

I hope the one they adopted was cribbed from a jurisdiction that does a lot of Table Lodges. The one that was submitted was a starting point but it was lame.

 

[relapse98]

Fail Recommendation No. 1 pg 115 Strategic planning committee

It is beyond my comprehension that such a committee has not been in place for decades.

It was stated, by a number of Past Grand Master's, that the process for one has been in place. But the recommendation, as written, had issues.
First, committee was to be comprised of 5 Past Chairmen of standing committees. There are some Past Grand Master's that don't qualify for that. Plus, you knock out a large chunk of regular old, younger masons who might have great input.

Amended pass Recommendation No. 3 pg 121 Local variation for Table Lodge

I hope the one they adopted was cribbed from a jurisdiction that does a lot of Table Lodges. The one that was submitted was a starting point but it was lame.

Interesting.. I have in my notes that that one failed. I'll admit having been a bit excited over the Fraternal Relations Committee report and vote earlier so I may not have noted that correctly.

 

[rpbrown]

I also show that Recommendation 1 failed.

The one that really concerns me is recommendation # 2, especially since Resolution # 12 passed. It seems that it is still at the Grand Secretaries discretion weather he wants to allow a convicted felon to be allowed, even though R#12 passed allowing it.

 

[otherstar]

What happened with the resolution about a cipher (spelling?) book published the the GL?

 

[crono782]

Yes and no. A cipher will be made available, but not by the GLoTX. Same rules apply as before, the only difference will be that the cipher will be accurate. Beyond that, I will not say more.

 

[crono782]

Recommendation #3 failing was the right choice IMO. The proposed "ritual" was really better suited for a festive board rather than a table lodge. Additionally, had this passed, I could see much grief being made for guys trying to put on *actual* festive boards due to the new similarity to table lodges. The consensus was that more ritual was not wanted, the CoW didn't like it, and it didn't make sense to create table lodge ritual for the sake of just having it (would rather just open appropriate degree, call to refreshment, do the table lodge stuff, call up, close). Short answer, nobody wanted it in the long run. It quickly died out.

 

[dfreybur]

... it didn't make sense to create table lodge ritual for the sake of just having it (would rather just open appropriate degree, call to refreshment, do the table lodge stuff, call up, close). ...

The responses and discourses in a Table Lodge are intended to be material that can be discussed in a tiled space so that's not what a Table Lodge is about. The content of the material presented is thus very different in a Table Lodge versus a Festive Board. At a non-tiled Festive Board no one can do a presentation on one of the furthermores. At a tiled Table Lodge presentations on various furthermores are listed as optional topics in the ritual.

Fortunately plenty of regulars on this forum conduct Masonic education talks at Stated meetings in tiled spaces. Those types of talks don't have to include material restricted to tiled spaces but when they do that's the type of material expected at Table Lodge. It's why Table Lodge is so wonderful. The degree lectures we know today are Table Lodge responses so good someone wrote them down.

 

[crono782]

It came down to the question then of "why do we even need this" and "do we even want this now that it's here" if it's just suggested responses and discourses? Why set this in stone and be controlled via committee on work when even they don't like it? If adopted, that suggested script would've been put in the monitor and required to be followed. The consensus was that nobody wanted that. I'm assuming the whole initiative is now dead and the supposed way to conduct them is as you see fit within reason. Open lodge on whatever degree, call to refreshment, do your table lodge stuff, call up, close lodge... You lose some of your tiled-ness, but it is what it is.

edit: as far as being able to give tiled programs while eating (not drinking though, this is texas. ), eh, I think it would be cool, but I can live with non tiled programs and keep the tiled ones at regular meetings. Personally, though I'd rather keep festive boards unsullied rather than have a ritualized table lodge.

edit edit: I think it could still be done, but it just wasn't well received. with some time and care, maybe one can be crafted that suits the occasion.

 

[chrmc]

I'm assuming the whole initiative is now dead and the supposed way to conduct them is as you see fit within reason. Open lodge on whatever degree, call to refreshment, do your table lodge stuff, call up, close lodge... You lose some of your tiled-ness, but it is what it is.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I don't see the present COW being one that is about giving power to the local lodges to decide what they want to do.

On a related note who got elected in for the COW positions?

 

[JJones]

What happened with the resolution about a cipher (spelling?) book published the the GL?

Yes and no. A cipher will be made available, but not by the GLoTX. Same rules apply as before, the only difference will be that the cipher will be accurate. Beyond that, I will not say more.

This is the decision I disagree with the most. I feel this is, or close to, being a violation of our obligations and the whole approach feels sketchy to me. I was pretty saddened by the atmosphere in the room towards anyone who objected to it.

 

[relapse98]

On a related note who got elected in for the COW positions?

There was only 1 position open and 1 candidate.. Duane Anthony, current chair.

 

[relapse98]

This is the decision I disagree with the most. I feel this is, or close to, being a violation of our obligations and the whole approach feels sketchy to me. I was pretty saddened by the atmosphere in the room towards anyone who objected to it.

We have a cipher book, its now legal to possess it [has been since 2006?] (nevermind that there were something like a million copies of the Texas version sold before it was legal to possess).

If its legal to have a cipher book and one exists, lets at least make sure its correct? Although if I do ever get down to just the 13 errors that exist in it, I'll be quite proud of myself. According to what I've found, the existing cipher book was written years before we had the prohibition against possessing one. I like the amendment the COW came up with to have the publisher fly in and educate him on the 13 errors so that he can correct it.

 

[relapse98]

While we're on it, what do you think about the new GM's first proclamation? We already do that at each stated meeting, we just now have to do the ones they've told us to.

 

[crono782]

I like the requirement for education. I wish it didn't lock lodges into a prescribed set of pieces to deliver. Promotes hearing education, but stifles being an educator/researcher. Still, it's a positive step overall.

 

[JJones]

While we're on it, what do you think about the new GM's first proclamation? We already do that at each stated meeting, we just now have to do the ones they've told us to.

I missed all of the proclamations...do we have a link somewhere or did I completely miss a thread?

 

[relapse98]

I only have the first one. I'll message it to you. Our secretary fetched it from the Grand Secretary's database (and actually it was there before the education components which had us in a sort of scramble because our December stated meeting is tonight. The education document is there now).

 

[dfreybur]

I like the requirement for education.

Illinois mandated education in every Stated meeting.

Some lodges said "This meeting was brought to you by the letter G. You will see the letter G up in the East. Thank you." These lodges got no benefit whatsoever from the effort. Mocking does not benefit.

Other lodges got brothers involved doing presentations. Even better some of these presentations were done by someone other than me. ;^) Plenty of these lodges reported better involvement by the presenters. Some even reported better involvement by others.

I wish it didn't lock lodges into a prescribed set of pieces to deliver. Promotes hearing education, but stifles being an educator/researcher.

Micromanagement can be handled using various strategies. I've never been all that good at that "agree" stuff ... I'll read the guidelines. Maybe I'll use them as a framework on which to build. Maybe I'll use them as a framework from which to launch. We'll see.

 

[JJones]

I only have the first one. I'll message it to you. Our secretary fetched it from the Grand Secretary's database (and actually it was there before the education components which had us in a sort of scramble because our December stated meeting is tonight. The education document is there now).

Thanks again for this.

From what I've read, I think it's a step in the right direction. When a huge percentage of brethren seem to think that masonic education begins and ends with the catechism it was probably a wise idea to provide some pre-made education programs..even if most of them appear to just be taken from short-talk bulletins. Here's hoping this will encourage brothers to create presentations of their own in the future once they realize there can be more to a stated meeting aside from paying bills.