Re: George Ryan

For the sake of space, I clipped much of what Bro. Torence wrote:

Since that time, only one Grand Master, Larry Inglis, being a retired
Appellate Court Justice, has had the experience, fortitude and
education to render good judgments. The others who have dabbled as
tribunal jurists have made a muddle of our reputation for charity, fair
play and justice.

It seems as though with this statement Bro. Ake is advocating only those with specialized profane knowledge should be allowed to judge the actions of fellows and brothers within the Craft. By making the allegation that other Brethren, who have done their best to render answers lacked the experience, fortitude and education to render good judgments, it seems as though Bro. Ake is advocating a separate class of Mason who is qualified to make these decisions. I would urge remembrance of the answer to the question; "How do Masons meet?"

The criminal code in Illinois has not
been refreshed or updated since 1961. What was considered felonious
crime and suitable punishment then does not reflect the standards of
this generation.

It might also be noted that the foundation for all western jurisprudence has not been updated since it was given to Moses over 2000 years ago. Perhaps part of the problems we face as a society and as a Craft can be attributed to the fact that what was considered as felonious crime and suitable punishment as enumerated in the Commandments is not reflected in the attitudes and standards of this generation.

What will take a while to correct in the real world,
can be fixed quickly and easily in our Craft. If it is strong enough,
then Masonry in Illinois can again serve as a model for the rest of
society to adjust its negative tendancy to punish, and impose the
penalties so easily perverted by mob mentality on its contituents.

In my opinion, any society worthy of the designation has, due to the frailty of humans, rules which must be followed. In a "perfect" world inhabited by "perfect" creatures the rules would be enough unto themselves, without the need for sanctions to be imposed for transgressions. Also, there is a difference between punishment and discipline. From the standpoint of my belief regarding this discussion, the negative is in the violation of the rule, law, admonition. The sanction, punishment, penalty is the natural consequence of the violation. Based upon observation of our current society, it seems as though the "mob mentality" tends toward "situational ethics" and flexible morality. Perhaps, we, as Freemasons, should act as an example to remind the profane around us that natural law, unbending and unequivocal, proscribes that there is an inescapable consequence to every action. That "Truth" is not relative, but absolute and that self-discipline is the water that is the vehicle that allows us to create the mortar of Brotherly Love and affection.



>My conviction is that what we have done with discipline these last fifteen
years will be considered by future generations of Masons with the same
abhorance that school children view the Witch Trials of Salem.

My conviction is that what we (the "boomer" generation and those who have followed), have done to denigrate, minimalize and decry civility, morality and self-discipline has done more to undermine the foundation of our Craft and our society than the actions of a few obscure Grand Lodge officers. The forebearers of our Fraternity, during the enlightenment were keenly aware that there was a broad gap between liberty and license and that self-government would not work without self-discipline. Perhaps we, holding ourselves to a higher standard than the profane society surrounding us as we have always done, should once again truly practice the virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice as an exemplar to the profane.


Let us instead be excellent to each other...

To this I can only agree and say here...here!

Fraternally,
Patrick C. Kansoer Sr.
PM Loyal Lodge No. 1007 AF&AM
Skokie, IL USA
(Beholden under the MWGL of Free and Accepted Masons, State of Illinois [USA])

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT: Lethal injection was Re: A big unnecessary problem
    ... Grandpa Chuck wrote: ... am not into "punishment". ... who commit violent acts against others. ... wrath of society down upon them and chooses to do it anyway. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Asbos on the way out, signals Theresa May
    ...  Almost all laws are made to curtail activities that are ... aid the smooth running of society, ... it to be a punishment, it would still only be challengable if it was also ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: Making money from Java
    ... > Because I extended from all other areas of life. ... > get caught AND not get away with some minor punishment". ... and make them worthwhile members of society. ... For a very long time I believed that the majority of drug addicts (and ...
    (comp.lang.cobol)
  • Re: Punishment - why?
    ... our ethical norms relate to the idea that those who break ethical codes ... done wrong should suffer" per se. ... ours is the only culture where society is considered to ... So punishment, being by ...
    (uk.religion.christian)