A campaign finance report filed with the Bureau of Elections by Commissioner Tony Amadio reveals him to be a member of the Freemasons. Amadio had not previously disclosed his affiliation with the organization publicly.
An entry dated November 2nd of last year lists Check #1727 in the amount of $70 as “Dues” made payable to Ambridge Lodge Number 701. The Ambridge Lodge is one of 11 lodges that comprise the 37th Masonic District, which falls within Region 5 of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
Sources familiar with the Ambridge Masonic Lodge tell the Beaver Countian that among its other notable members are Commissioner Joe Spanik, Judge Gus Kwidis, Sheriff George David, and State Representative Rob Matzie.
The Freemasons describe themselves as a “society with secrets”, rather than a “secret society”, and have a stated objective of “taking good men and making them better.” Freemasonry is widely known for its emphasis on charity (including its affiliated Shriners Hospitals for Children), with most initiates into the organization joining for social, business, or political reasons.
While Freemasonry unambiguously states it is not a religion, critics often cite the organization’s arcane rituals and symbolic blood oaths and obligations as being indicative of one — The Roman Catholic Church, Assemblies Of God, and the Southern Baptist Convention all prohibit their members from joining, calling it “incompatible with Christianity.” Critics also say the air of secrecy surrounding the organization, which boasts a large membership of influential political leaders, should be of concern in an open democracy.
76 Comments From Our Readers
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Just another criminal politician, doing what criminal politicians do.
Will we ever be free from corruption? No. We’ll re-elect him, again and again, and he’ll laugh at us while he steals our money and our property.
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Really? Now ur reaching for straws. No, campaign money shouldn’t have paid for dues, but ur really reaching now
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holy fuck! i didnt even know that shit went on around here?
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How is this even news? I don’t like that midget Armadillo but they were campaign funds (donations). How does this cost tax payers anything or how is this corrupt. The sheep will follow
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I didn’t know he was a Mason before this did you? I don’t know if it matters I need to research them more but I think it’s good to know what organizations our elected leaders belong to.
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I am confused, if the Masons don’t like Catholics, how come I see several names of supposed Catholics on that list? What does this mean? Do some of these men pretend when they show up at church just for a political gain?
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Freemasons allow Catholics its Catholics that dont allow Freemasons. heres what I found from EWTN http://www.ewtn.com/library/answers/camason1.htm
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I think I made a mistake, good Catholics should not join the Masons because their church frowns in it. Looks like some of the “good” men don’t practice what their religioms preach.
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Nothing is wrong witht he Masons. If you look up how much they help others I’m sure you’ll be impressed. There is no blood rituals etc….LOL.
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this article is pretty fair compared to some of the stuff ive read this might end up good press for the lodges people wills tart wanting to know more look for new brothers coming soon!
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Who cares what the man does on his own time. Sheep need to mind there own business.
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SO WHAT, MIND YO!UR OWN AFFAIRS!
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Who cares , its just BS that they use campaign money though wtf digg in your pockets and pay, free press for the masons organizations, but I bet a few woods be little piss about a brother not using his personal money, cause its clear what campaign cash is for.
But no surprise think every judge our powerful person is, I know most cops are to and judges pillars in community
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My understanding is that many of our founding fathers were Masons, notably, Ben Franklin and John Hancock. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, considering all the charities to which they contibute. I don’t feel that using campaign funds for dues is appropriate though. There is so much corruption in politics, Beaver County is obviously not immune to it. I appreciate your investigative reports Jon Paul. At least someone is trying to keep Beaver County politicians honest.
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Everyone commenting here that is not a Mason is speculating, unless they are a member, as is the nature of secrecy. Everyone on here as well as the author of the article, Mr. Paul, would benefit from researching prominent people in history that were members of the Masons. Start with presidents of the United States of America. Begin with President George Washington. Many great people in this world are Masons.
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What the bell does being a Mason have to do with ANYTHING. Is the sheriff situation getting old and you’re looking for something new? If so, you’re getting really desperate. What next…who belongs to KofC, the Elks, or the SOI?
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Pointless story
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now we are going to get rid off the commissioners
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I did not say that Masons were bad, I just said that since some religions were against them I find it hard to believe these “good” christian men would belong to some group that their churches find wrong.
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The Masons have numerous charities that they are affiliated with, Hospitals, Learning centers, Medical centers, Museums, Scholarships etc. etc. Those are all good in my book.
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I am not a Mason but my Dad was a Mason for many, many years and a Past Master in the Lodge. I am far from being an expert on the Free Masons but I know my Dad would never belong to a “bad” organization and he was a very respected member of our community up until his death. I don’t think there is anything wrong with belonging to the Masons. Let the Commissioners’ live there private lives.
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He used campaign money to pay his dues which means he’s saying his membership serves a political purpose which means it’s not a private life thing and it should at be discussed
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lower level freemasons, do not have a clue what goes on with the higher degree masons. all one has to do is a little research, and you can find out.
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THE COMMISSIONERS, JUDGE, AND SHERIFF ARE NOT THE ONLY MASONS EMPLOYED BY THE COUNTY. CHECK OUT THE DEPT OF PUBLIC WORKS. THE DIRECTOR, JAMES CAMP AND HIS FOREMAN ARE ALL MASONS, (BOTH PRESENT & PAST FOREMAN) EVEN SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES OF DPW WEAR THE RING……JUST SAYIN
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There is always some CRAZY SHIT on this website! LOL!
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Misterc John…truth. My Dad was a lower level mason….I thank God he left. His 1st cousin is a upper mid level….I pray for him. Scary how easily ppl can be manipulated. No disrespect to your family, Gary Hollerman,…truth is no respector of persons. God bless.
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75% of what you read on the internet is false. Thats not just for Mason’s but for everything. Chances are you know more mason’s then you realize. They don’t go around pumping their chest saying who they are. They help 1000′s of people every day around the world.
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This isn’t about him being a Mason, it’s about paying his dues out of campaign money. Is he telling us he can’t afford to pay the dues from his own pocket. What a disgrace.’No wonder they were always covering for the Sheriff. THE BROTHERHOOD–WOW
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I guess you all are missing the connection here. Commissoners Spanik and Amadio are masons with the sheriff. Why do you think he gets away with everything. Mason’s look out for each other. This whole thing about the sheriff’s office doing private security would have gone un noticed by the commissoners, but when the public puts pressure on them to do something, they have to act.
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The free masons are a secret, sneaky society with alot of influence. Good reporting JP, keep up the good work!!!
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Do people even know what free masons are? Seriously, people call witch more often now than when they actually used to call witch.
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While I have been a huge fan of this site almost since it’s inception, methinks with this latest report…sadly it has “jumped the shark.”
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The wrong thing here is that he used his taxpayers campaign money for his Lodge dues. My family and I are third generations of Masons, Knights Templar, Shriners, Eastern Star, Rainbow Girls, Demola and Jobes Daughters. This is not what this article is about. We read these articles to see what is happening with the politicians in BC, some of who shouldn’t have even been allowed to know what a Mason is or does. JP, I understand freedom of the Press and freedom of speech, but stick with reporting the news of the politicians in BC and leave the Masonic Lodge alone. There are good men out there that have nothing to do with politics….NOW TELL US WHATS GOING ON WITH GEORGIE AND JOHN JOE……….
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SD.
DONATIONS are not tax payers money….Come on, he is a Fellow Dumbacrate, support your brother.
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So proud who r u
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The investigating Committee of the ambride lodge must have been asleep on the job when geogie’s name came across their desk. Talk about tarnishing the brotherhood…
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Who the hell cares. Now you’re really reaching at straws. Incidently, the Catholic Church had NO problem proctecting pedophiles so the could continue to prey on young parishoners. Maybe you shouldnt use their opinions on other “secret societies”.
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They don’t. It’s like that State Farm commercial, “If it’s on the internet it’s true”!!
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Maybe it’s not on a level with Jane or Joan Orie, but the money seems to have been misspent, the real issue here. Perhaps he won’t do it again. The issue with Freemasonry is that the potential exists for favoritism for the Brotherhood over civil law. Canada and the U.K. have had some serious controversy over this, since overlaps are present in their political and legal systems and dual, sometimes conflictual, allegiances. The problem is not Freemasonry, but the exploitation of it for personal gain. It’s own, written tenets are against this in favor of the social good.
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Unless this guy is a member or the KKK or the Communist party I could not care less. What is more important is keeping a watch on our elected officials and making sure that they do nothing to edge closer to Agenda 21. The UN has no business being in our business. Be aware. Be informed. Be active.
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LOL !
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The BEAVER COUNTIAN is like a cheap talk show….trying to stir the pot….like some weasel in High School who is telling on everyone for lame infractions that 90% of Beaver County doesn’t give a Rat’s behind about….Tony Amadio, Joe Spanik and Rob Matzie are GREAT GUYS. I know two of them well enough to have a lot of respect for them in their Professional Lives, as Parents and as Politicians…I am NOT a Mason but I have relatives who are and are Catholics…I also have several friends who are Masons and do a lot of charitable work, from the heart….so I DON’T CARE….anyone who does needs to take a look at the Federal Government and WONDER WHY the U.S. thinks it’s a great idea giving 16 F-16′s to EGYPT? Which has a leader who is a KNOWN member of the Muslim Brotherhood? I’m FAR more concerned about THAT!
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@Michelle Hudson, your friend is probably a wacko and you may be borderline to, the high level ones now if they are third or second generation are usually jackoffs that just went through the steps and lead meetings because nobody else wants to, but anyways I have been a long time and the only thing I ever heard was help a fellow brother be a better man, husband, and father..
I have seen guys be high ranking and be UN employed for long periods of time, the special treatment has faded the juice has dried up , not saying its all gone and I have been seeing a surge by younger joining and a re inventing seems soon. But covering murder lol..
And I bet you are as deer in the head light as you can get
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So what if he is a Mason. They are a great organization. My father and my late father in law and late grandfather were Masons. I am proud of them.
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Looks like I’m inspiring people to use periods in between their sentences……lol
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I’ve been doing that for YEARS…………
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No, Quippian, you are just a lousy user of the SwiftKey Beta free download version for Android. My guess is tht you either have fat fingers or are just too lazy to learn the program, or, upgrade to the pay-for-download 4.0+ version. Obviously, it can’t predict what you are going to type…but, no one can.
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Quippian: Second sentence: “tht” not changed to “that”. I don’t use SwiftKey, for obvious reasons. Go back to the QWERTY keyboard and do your own proofing.
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good for him
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computer Bob..something wrong with Masons?
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so what good lodge joe marek
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Listen if the misuse of campaign funds was the message that the author was trying to convey, then this article could have been summed up in 2 paragraphs….oh if it were only that simple…. And quickly…Federal law seems clear enough: “A contribution or donation . . . shall not be converted by any person to personal use”…but In Pennsylvania, the law says campaign cash can be spent only on “influencing the outcome of an election…. So this is a grey area at best…..from what I’ve read politicians borrow from campaign funds and later return the money….70 dollars is hardly worth the argument considering he delegated money to other organizations as well….my question is what does paragraphs 3..4..and 5 have anything to do with campaign funds and use….WELL To instigate a debate that leads to an argument….precisely what is happening here….don’t be fooled. I am a mason as well as quite a few readers on here…. Most people don’t walk around introducing themselves by their first and last name followed my ” I’m a mason” and there are tons of stories written about masons and tons of opinions…..the Freemasons are secret due to Tradition. And articles and websitesnpaint a very distorted picture of what they believe this organization is and what its about…but what they can never deny is they donated millions if not billions to charities around the world yearly….. most notably the Shriners Hospital for Children (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriners_Hospital_for_Children)…. I personally, along with many brothers in my lodge, have solicited money for charities near and dear to ourselves and have never been denied. So please understand that the very organization you are insulting in a post may containl people you are close with and never realized
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Ppl on the lower levels do not see what the higher level masons do. They keep you blinded by their dirt by keeping the naive ppl busy with good works. The higher levels can steal or murder and if cops and lawyers are in those higher levels, they typically get off. Pay attention. It’s darker than what you see. My friend was a 32 degree mason and years later he got out and gave his life to Christ. The stuff he told us that goes on is scary!
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FYI: George Washington was a freemason as well as several other US Presidents.
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You people must be really really bored and don’t have alot to do all day
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There seem to be quite a few anti masons on here….who I’m certain researched this topic rather than listen to here say…. And with all that research they might have heard of the TAXIL HOAX…The Taxil hoax was an 1890s hoax of exposure by Léo Taxil intended to mock not only Freemasonry, but also the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to it…..On April 19, 1897 Taxil called a press conference at which he claimed he would introduce Proof to the press….. He instead announced that his revelations about the Freemasons were fictitious. He thanked the clergy for their assistance in giving publicity to his wild claims……The hoax material is still used to this day contained in most anti mason websites….it’s a good read.
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Michelle…agree. Here’s my last comment…If they are so good, why do they meet in secret? Why walk in the darkness instead of the light? Light exposes secrets.
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Robin….nice trivia point.
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That’s so true Jesus Sees All and Robin. Just goes to show you a lot of things about the demonic foundation of this country. They fled for religious freedom, but Rome will soon show her mark of authority once again. Yes, those secret societies do a lot of things…..in the dark. Amazing Discoveries and EX Ministries has a lot of teaching on this and it will make your mouth drop to the floor.
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Forerunner Chronicles – Christopher Hudson also teaches well on how dark these societies are.
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Well there is allot of information mistakenly be thrown around here. The info is availabe anywhere so not so secret. First off, 3rd degree is the highest degree of a free mason. The 32nd degree you referenced would be scottish rite, knights templar, etc. You have to belive in a higher being “god” maybe the “G” associated with the mason symble G?? There are plenty of groups out there that don’t allow men, women etc and have closed meetings to non members. If your not a member of something do non members show up to meetings? I have never read about any meetings in the dark, maybe if the lights went out or by candle light, they have been around for awhile. Please do your research before throwing around false so called facts. This info is easily obtained if you look around at quality reference institutions and not the back yard know it all.
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I saw a show on the sort of History Channel that speculated that 9/11 was actually perpetrated by the government and that the Ambridge Masonic Hall was where the plot was hatched. George Bush used to sneak in there to give the orders (and then he would stop in and get Police Station pizza). Keep digging. This story could just be the ticket to a plum assignment at the Times!
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Who cares if Tony belongs to the Masons, but using campaign contributions is kind of wrong, Use your own money, not money given to you by others.
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I think a lot of you with the negative comments have drank too much kool-aid or smoked too much wacky tabacci. The expense account is the question, not fake stories, folklore and lies. I respect the work of the Masons and would question the crooked politicians in this county and country. I follow the Beaver Countian but feel this time the heading is inappropriate for the subject causing fiction to abound.
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A politician that made a mistake….. WOW, who would have ever thought that. Let’s see now, how can we punish him and make it hurt ? I know, make him live in Beaver County.
As for the anti Masonic misinformed, the ONLY way to speak with any accuracy on Freemasonry would be if you were a member of that brotherhood. Beware of those claiming to have once been, but have since seen the light and are no longer. A righteous man will not and cannot ever utter those words, so we are left with the credibility of the unrighteous.
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Remember they fall in the arms of Ivan abiff they don’t believe in god do u think they should
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@ Craig Saunders
Sounds like a lot of mumbling, what I love is you say punish him by living in beaver county, where would be better to live and raise family with solid employment region
It amazes me when I hear people complain , sometimes job economy is tight in trained field, but other avenues can be attained, but for some its easier to Bitch and blame politicians regardless of party as there asses grow fat and they seek salvation at wing night specials, and papa johns 2 for 1 special and charging cigarettes.
I think beaver county is pretty damn good, with great things to offer, I love vacation but know those areas wouldn’t be place to live
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O boy
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After a family member past away I found his Mason Bible and some other information. After reading it I do not understand with their beliefs why they would ever want to set foot into any church? Unless they want to play both sides of the field. And yes this information found, might not even have been the real thing, how would I know. But I know he was a Mason for numerous years and alway kept all his Mason Information in the locked safe which no one was permitted to look at nor had a key too. Someone hired a lock smith to break into it. But I know I always thought the did good work, but just like them attending church, they need a good cover. What is a better cover then donating to sick children. And they has been a lot of criminal cases in the US were bad people have used the cover that they did good works. So if any of what I read had any truth, I would not say they were good people by far. But, like people say, you can’t believe everything you read. By I do believe that their is wolves in sheepskin clothes in our churches and I do believe that the wolves may be the Mason sitting next to you, because they do not believe in the King James Version nor Jesus, God, etc…. Before any attacks, this is just my opinion. And I believe in freedom to believe as you wish. Hypocrites I don’t like.
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You might be referring to one of two books, although Mackey wrote many:
The first is a text, and is written in chapters:
A Treatise on the Constitutional Laws, Usages And Landmarks of Freemasonry,
By Albert Gallatin Mackey, M.D., 33DG (March 12, 1807 – June 20, 1881)
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by Jno. W. Leonard & Co.
Or,
The second is an alphabetical encyclopedia, defining terminology:
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, 1917 First Edition, 3 Volumes in One, Albert G. Mackey, M.D. 33RD DGREE Mason
Both books are huge works, and have been revised, but are available free online. I find one common section in both quite interesting:
(Excerpted from the first book above):
“The construction now given universally to the religious qualification of a candidate, is simply that he shall have a belief in the existence and superintending control of a Supreme Being.”
And,
“These old charges from which we derive the whole of our doctrine as to the moral qualifications of a candidate, further prescribe as to the political relations of a Mason, that he is to be “a peaceable subject to the civil powers, wherever he resides or works, and is never to be concerned in plots and conspiracies against the peace and welfare of the nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior magistrates. He is cheerfully to conform to every lawful authority; to uphold on every occasion the interest of the community, and zealously promote the prosperity of his own country. Such being the characteristics of a true Mason, the candidate who desires to obtain that title, must show his claim to the possession of these virtues; and hence the same charges declare, in reference to these moral qualifications, that “The persons made Masons, or admitted members of a lodge, must be good and true men—no immoral or scandalous men, but of good report.”
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Mason r not all bad some of them join just to get ahead, to get better jobs , better deals on cars an so on even to keep there friends out of trouble ( Georgie) tony n spanik should be ashame
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I couldn’t agree more, Phil!! …Hey, My wife and I was at the Mall this afternoon and saw our hard working (yeah right) commissioner Joe Spandex in one of the jewelry stores. It looked like he was shopping for an engagement ring???!!! Shouldn’t he be at the Courthouse doing his job instead of trolling at the Mall?.. Wait, maybe he was “politiking”.. :/
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@Rubric: sounds like the Mason’s need to remove most of our politicians from there “secret society”.
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@rubric….perfect
@tammy I realyy hope your just miss informed or just trying to stir the pot. Please educate yourself.
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@Roaddog: not stirring to pot. My first comment was information that I found, which was a Mason for 30 years. No I did not like what I was reading, and if that was his belief I total disagree. Hence, my questions included and informing everyone I had no proof it was real information. But if you are talking about my second comment, IF what Rubric I formation was correct and they teach men to be the way stated, then yes I mean what I said that there are people that are Masons that should not be. Can’t have it both ways.
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The Masonic book excerpts are verbatim from the sources listed. I have a copy of the second book (I collect first editions of books), and the first book is an e-book available online for free PDF download (as is the second). I am not a Mason. All the men on my mother’s side were, as was my wife’s father. The second, actual book, was passed down through generations from my maternal grandfather. I never developed an interest in joining the society. The excerpts just seemed relevant to the topic and were not meant to be judgmental. I am neutral about the matter. The family pressure on me is from my father’s side, to join The Sons of the American Revolution, since we have lineage directly back to it. But, I’ll pass on that, too. I guess I’m just an independent person.