Rec'd the following email........ You decide.... . Also will try to attach the letter.... Or cut & paste the letter contents of the incident that caused all this.
"Dear Friends:
This letter is more than I ever intended to say about this matter Howeve8r, my inbox has been full of questions, comments, etc... and I felt that I owed it to members of the list to cover this, hopefully, one last time so that accurate facts are out there.
Attached you will find the letter from the Imperial Potentate covering some very important information about the situation between Shriners and Ark Grand Lodge. This is important information for several reasons. First, it outlines exactly what took place that got us to where we are today. Next, it covers the letter from the Ark GM, line by line, with Imperial Sir Madsen’s response. This is important as Imperial Sir Al said exactly what I was thinking when I first read the letter from the Ark GM. I kept my opinion to myself because I thought “I must be missing something. The GM of Arkansas, surely can’t mean ‘that’.†But, in fact, he did mean what I thought he meant as I first read his letter. As wrong as wrong can be. He still meant it.
Brothers, this is one of the EXACT reasons why I’ve maintained this list over the years. When something comes up that needs to be said, I want to be able to say it without any worries over some Grand Lodge editing what I say. And that is precisely why many current and former GL and Imperial officers are on the list. They want to know what people are thinking without their comments going through any kind of sterilization process.
It’s also very important for you to know the FACTS. There are several things in here that are different than what some of us originally thought were the facts of this situation. The truth is that the facts, are even STRONGER to support the Shrine’s position than what we originally thought.
At first, many of us thought this was a matter that came from an issue that while antiquated in design, was still in fact Ark GL Law. Therefore, it “could†but not SHOULD, be decided similarly to what Ark GL did. But in reality, this is a matter, based on the information in this letter from Imperial Sir Al, that should NEVER have been an issue in the first place. Therefore, in my personal opinion, this is yet another example of somebody’s head getting too big for the hat they are wearing.
Ultimately, all of us are Masons and we all should put Masonry above any other fraternally related group. But when a disagreement in the Shrine due to jealousy and a desire for revenge is the underlying cause for Masonic actions, let alone Masonic actions on a scale this big, it’s wrong to hold allegiance to a GL just for the sake of it being a GL. As an example, if a GL were to say “we don’t believe you need to carry auto insurance any longer and if you do, you must self-expel yourself from Masonry.†You’re thinking, “Carl, that is nuts. NOBODY would say that.†You are right! But if they did, would you follow their rule? No! Why? They are dead wrong. Brothers, as Dr. Seuss said, “we still have brains in our head and feet in our shoes, we can steer ourselves in any direction we choose.†And I choose NOT to be swayed to an untenable position just because somebody with an impressive title SAYS that they are right.
Having spent many years in the Shrine both as a member of a Temple and later an elected member of that Temple’s Divan, I can assure you that I have seen first hand how nasty, ugly and unmasonic some “brothers†can be when they are trying to get their friends lined up in a position of leadership in the Shrine. Their motives are as obvious to others as the stain upon their masonic dues cards, which, by the way, should have been taken from them years ago and used to start a bonfire in the backyard of the Temple – all for the betterment of the Fraternity. I’m glad to report that in one particularly rancid situation I am aware of, a Potentate ripped the heart out of a hotbed of unmasonic acting nobles and cleaned house. We need more Brothers like that who will stand up and say, “you are bad for our fraternity and we don’t want you or your kind to be here any longer.â€
In my estimation, this matter is yet another example of that kind of posturing and I for one think it’s ridiculous. The actions outlined in the letter from Imperial Sir Al that were taken against a Mason and Noble, were, in my personal opinion, uncalled for, unmasonic, unreasonable, ill-advised and unthinkable – just to put it mildly. Totally wrong from the ‘get-go’ is maybe a simpler way to put it.
In my personal opinion, the actions taken by the GL of Ark were as wrong as wrong can be.
Please read this letter and see if you agree.
Fraternally Carl"
end of email that I received.