Royal Order of Jesters - something funny going on

The Burning Taper Sunday March 9th. " Another 'isolated incident'? Retired judge, fellow Jesters under investigation for hiring prostitutes in New York "..has more information including the full text of :

HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS OF NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, December 8, 2005 - TRIBUTE TO JUDGE RONALD H. TILLS
" ....One of his great loves is the largest and oldest fraternal organization in the world. As a Mason, Ron Tills has held numerous responsibilities within the Masons and the organizations within it, including Proctor of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, Potentate of the Ismalia Shrine Temple, Director and President of the Shrine Oasis and Director of the Buffalo Court 22 of Jesters."

Congressman Tom Reynolds is a member of Springville Lodge in New York and Ismailia Temple (of Buffalo, NY) of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Shriners), according to Congressional SourceWatch

Ahabs other leg also has an intiguing post at Rigorous Intuition Friday April 11th 2008

In which he makes the connection between "Son of Sam" , David Berkowitz , his letters to Jimmy Breslin , (He used a 44 Charter Bulldog) of the 22 Disciples of Hell and John "Wheaties" Rapist and Suffocator of Young girls who was in fact John Carr who possibly blew his brains out at Minot Air Force base, North Dakota in 1978 - the base where they "lost" 6 nukes recently.

The book he points out, by Maury Terry "The Ultimate Evil " about the Son of Sam slayings has .." multiple mentions throughout the book of a group called the 22 as well, carrying out ritualistic crimes ...."

Terry's book pointed to the Process Church -originally developed as a splinter client cult group from Scientology, so that they were declared "suppressive persons" by L. Ron Hubbard in December 1965

The Burning Taper also has a piece on an ROJ e-mail circular "Mirth Missives" (see also Frost here) which apparently circulates amongst this august body.

This appears to be some sort of spatchcock e-zine circulating frat house jokes, whilst it wouldn't disturb any adult it seems a curious item for well meaning masons and shriners to get involved in.

But then as ahe points out, Spitzers successor is a man called David Paterson , a mason (member of Boyer Lodge #1, of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York. ), whom both he and his wife 'fess up jointly to sexual infidelity and the use of cocaine and marijuana.

Bro Hoddup tells us that Boyer Lodge No. 1 was established in 1812 and is the oldest continuously operating Prince Hall lodge in the world.

Located in Harlem, the lodge is named in honor of Haitian soldier-statesman Jean Pierre Boyer, who later became the first president of Haiti after their war of liberation from France. In the 1820s, Boyer Lodge and two others for free blacks in New York that had been chartered by Prince Hall's African Lodge in Massachusetts, formed what was then called the "Boyer Grand Lodge," for the state of New York.

After the schism over the National Compact in the 1840s, the lodges descended from, or aligned with, Boyer Lodge eventually came together to form what is today the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York.

Worshipful brother Walter S. Cook III, Past Master of Apollo-King Solomon's Lodge No. 13 of the Grand Lodge of New York has reported that Brother Paterson has requested the use of St. John's Lodge No. 1's famous "Washington Bible" for his swearing in ceremony, and that the request was granted.

"This national treasure (Washington was sworn in using it) was nearly destroyed on September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Towers in New York were attacked by terrorists. The Bible had been on loan from St. John's Lodge #1 for an exhibit in the Faunces Tavern Museum, just a few blocks from the horrific event. Two days later, Brother Tom Savini, Director of the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library and Museum was taken under special escort to Faunces Tavern Museum where he was able to recover the Washington Bible.

Another interesting site is a U. S. Government page which has compiled the passages to which Bibles were open when Presidents took their oath of office. You can find it here.

Some other interesting facts: candidates at St. John's Lodge take their obligation on this Bible which is also used to obligate the Grand Master of New York. Three other presidents have used it for their inauguration and it was to be used at a fourth in 2001, that of George Walker Bush, following in the footsteps of his father, President George Herbert Walker Bush. However, inclement weather caused a last minute cancellation in order not to expose this irreplaceable treasure to the elements. The Bible does not travel by air; only by land so as to minimize the potential for damage. It only travels in the presence of three carefully selected members of St. John's Lodge"


I tell you, you couldn't make this fucking stuff up..... and it's tax exempt.