[RoughAshlar]

Source: theBulletin

By John P. Connolly, The Bulletin

Published: Tuesday, January 06, 2009

A Washington-based Freemason’s lodge will be hosting a first-ever inaugural ball in honor of President-elect Barack Obama.

William R. Singleton Hope-Lebanon Lodge No. 7, of Washington, D.C., will host the ball in honor of Mr. Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. It is the first inaugural celebration to be hosted by Freemasons.

Tickets are $65 per Masonic visitor, and $75 per guest from the general public. Proceeds will go to the Masonic Foundation, the charitable arm of the Grand Lodge of D.C., which funds various programs in the D.C.-Metro area. These programs include the Special Olympics, Child ID programs, Youth Leadership Development Programs, and other activities.

The lodge describes Freemasonry as “a unique institution that has been a major part of community life in America for over [250] years.”

According to the the lodge’s Web site, the list of noteworthy Freemasons includes George Washington, Paul Revere, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, John Hancock, Roy Acuff, Buzz Aldrin, Gene Autry, Gen. Omar Bradley, Ty Cobb, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry Ford and Benjamin Franklin, among others.

John P. Connolly can be reached at jconnolly@thebulletin.us

[KSigMason]

This could this be construed as a violation of the "no partisan politics" rule.

[Ashlar2006]

I was thinking the same thing . We have a dinner every year to raise money for the church that shares our property . It falls around election time and all the local candidates like to come out and ask us to put up signs( or put them up on their own without asking) , place fliers and bumper stickers on our welcome table and " press the flesh" , no matter how many times we have asked them not to do this .My job is to walk around and gather up their literature , stickers and signs and deposit them in the trash .

[RoughAshlar]

Originally Posted by KSigMason

This could this be construed as a violation of the "no partisan politics" rule.

It definatly is, but it really makes me wonder if some of the conjecture I've read about Obama being a mason is acurate.

I never saw it for myself, but apparently early in the election there was an Obama ad of two hands shaking, one wearing a masonic ring...

[rustybones49801]

Apparently, someone on his staff is asscoiated with the D.C. Lodge and set up the function that way. Yes, seems very political to myself as well, then again, we don't know the circumstances surrounding the setup of this function either.

[Darrel]

If it were a Masonic sponsered event held prior to election, I can see a problem. This, however, is a ball held to honor the new President of the United States. Whether you are a dem. or rep., makes no difference at this point, he is the elected President. Masons have been involved in politics in this country from the very beginning. I believe the prohibition on discussing politics is within the Lodge.

[rustybones49801]

I just wonder if the ball would have been thrown if McCain had won? It places us in the public eye directly connected with politics, and the perception of which can be just as bad, IMHO.

[Ashlar2006]

That is the question . If McCain would have won , would this same lodge have thrown an inaugural ball ?

Yes ,individual Masons have been involved with politics . Weather or not it is before or after the election , in my mind , makes no difference .If individual Masons wanted to throw the ball would be fine , but to attach the name of the lodge and Freemasonry itself to it is another story . If you will type "Masonic Ball To Honor Obama" into a search engine and cruise around the internet , you will find the anti's are wetting themselves over this . I know , I know what the anti's think does not matter , but it has raised a few eyebrows as to why with non-Masons/non-antis and more than a few Masons . I realize it is a way to raise funds for their charities , but it would not have taken much of a thought process to know that this would look bad and place all of Freemasonry in a less than positive light .

As Rusty has stated it places us in the public eye connected with politics . They claim we run the government , we know that we do not . They claim Obama is a Freemason , giving them one more reason to think the Freemasons and the so-called NWO run this country , and here is a Lodge throwing a Ball in Obama's name . You do the math . We may see it as an innocent fund raiser , others see something darker , more insidious . Perhaps with a little foresight , this one would have been better left alone .