Freemasons are still a real thing, that exist in the open? I thought they were just a Illuminati style conspiracy theory kind of thing.
Oh, yeah, we’re still a thing. It’s largely faded into relative obscurity since its heyday in the 20th century post-war revival. As far as the Illuminati are concerned, they are a thing too, and when Adam Weishaupt (the founder) asked George Washington for permission to set up their own Lodges in the U.S., George basically told him to fuck off. That didn’t really stop Weishaupt from going ahead with it anyway, but they are considered by us to be “irregular” and “clandestine”. At the end of the day, Masonry isn’t a secret society, but rather a society with secrets. Masonic Lodges have websites now and, back in the day, were in all the phone books. Our buildings are plainly and proudly marked as such, in the clear, and anyone who walks by it can recognize it for what it is. I doubt any Illuminati Lodge could claim such a thing.
Freemasons (not one myself) have been around a very long time and - yes - people have come up with all sorts of silly conspiracy ... stuff about them. They were (and probably still are) about freedom, dignity and egalitarianism for all people. They are often credited as being one of the groups that helped bring about the Enlightenment following the Renaissance that in turn triggered events such as the American Revolution (and in turn the French - though that kinda went off the rails for a while). Their numbers have dwindled quite a bit in the last few decades and ... hmmm... the world seems to be running away from all they stood for. Might be a bad thing...
Exactly this. Luminaries such as George Washington, Ben Franklin, many signers of the Declaration of Independence and drafters of the Constitution were Masons, who built the United States on Masonic principles which still endure to this day. They were the true original patriots and I’ve always considered myself in good company with them despite the accusations and theories.
Also, the Shriners, if you want an example that doesn't unintentionally reinforce the "secret masters of the world" meme. How could they take over anything with those tiny cars? My old job had me going through survey photos of all kinds of different buildings, and at once point, I got one strange one that had this enormous, Ottoman-style atrium, multiple levels, gorgeous tile mosaics, I thought it might be a mosque or maybe a museum, but, off to the side, there was a wood-paneled lodge-style room full of pinball machines and foosball tables. I looked it up, and it turned out to be a Shriner's lodge somewhere in the midwest.
The Shriners know how to party. It is considered an "appendant body" of mainstream Masonry, and yes they have sub-groups called "units", of which the little cars are one. I think there's also the "Motor Corps", which are the motorcycles and the "Highlanders" which are the bagpipe and drum marching unit and, of course, the "Clowns", all of which participate in many local community parades each year. There are also clubs like computer and chess clubs. IIRC, you're required to join at least one unit or club and participate in fundraisers, the latter of which is quite important to support the Shriner Hospitals - contributions ranging up to $1M per day. I was astonished when I heard that number, and that was 25 years ago. The Shrine is one of the few appendant bodies I never joined, simply due to the time and cost commitments involved. Was too deeply involved in the Scottish & York Rite (Royal Arch, Cryptic, Commandery) branches to make it work. Here's a famous painting of the Masonic "family tree" of appendant bodies: Here's another one, where the names are a little clearer, with also the invitational-only orders included (AMD, KYCH, Rosicrucians, etc.):
They look good on my end. Are you behind a proxy server or firewall? They’re being hosted on Imgur and might be getting blocked.
At first I thought it was Xaviar from G1980, but I'm fairly sure that Hatch's intent was to write off G1980 as if it never existed. Good plan.
There's a lodge a block from my home. And when I catch the train into the city, I walk by their former lodge which is now part of a new condo development. Nice building.
Of course the Masons still exist. Who else is gonna be able to control the British crown and keep the metric system down.
Not joking here but every day I arrive at work I have a little giggle because I actually work in a sky blue coloured hospital. Looks so similar in shape only 3 not 4 stories.
This seems as good a place as any to acknowledge the passing of the original Col Tigh, Terry Carter, who seems to have had a distinguished and accomplished life and career outside of the show https://variety.com/2024/film/people-news/terry-carter-dead-battlestar-galactica-mccloud-1235979429/
How sad. Another of the original cast gone. To my recollection, he was always considered an amazingly warm and kind individual, and a big backer of Hatch's attempt at a continuation story.