Scottish Masonic halls under surveillance by terror police

The firing of Russ and Dee Fine from their radio host jobs at 101.1 FM "Voice of Alabama" WYDE earlier this week has finally been noticed by the local Alabama media.

Staff writer Hunter Ford of the Hoover Gazette reported that the Fines believe their abrupt on-air firing was political in nature, and a result of their having repeatedly reported for the past few weeks "that Gov. Bob Riley belongs to a Masonic Lodge in Clay County that excludes black members."

The Birmingham Free Press wrote a decidedly anti-Russ and Dee article. I'm not sure when it was written, but it was before they were fired, and has nothing to do with the "Riley is a Mason" issue.

Russ and Dee Fine's website today has a letter from the couple, explaining why, in their opinion, they were fired.

Sandy Frost, whose multi-part exposé on the Shriners is now into its eighth part, has also written about the firing, and has linked to previous Burning Taper articles about the matter. Sandy also uncovered a hilarious link to TheSpoof.com, where it is reported (as parody) that

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the Shriners, whose official name is the "Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine", scored a perfect "100" when exposed to Homeland Security's "How to Spot a Terrorist Organization" secret decoder ring.

"First, they wear funny hats," Chertoff said. "Second, they claim to be a charity, as if we haven't heard that one before. Third, they are organized into local cells that lay dormant until ordered into action by a central authority. Fourth, they ride those little motor scooters or whatever they are, which could be used to ram municipal buses. And fifth, they wear paramilitary outfits."

But beyond the comedy, there is a serious wind a-blowin'.

In an article titled "Masons under anti-terror surveillance after UDA infiltrates Scottish lodges", Scotland's Sunday Herald recently reported that Masonic halls throughout Scotland are under surveillance by the terror police, who believe that Scottish Freemasonry has been infiltrated by cells of the outlawed loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA).

One lodge is known to have been used by the group for fund-raising and operational meetings. UDA member Steven Moffat used the St. Kenneth Lodge in Kennoway as a cover for loyalist paramilitary activity.

The Mason’s Fife and Kinross provincial grand master, David Wishart, said Moffat had used the Masonic Lodge in Kennoway for UDA meetings for at least 18 months, but said that most of the lodge's members were unaware that their hall was being used by the UDA.

"I was horrified to find out that this had been going on," said Wishart.

The article reports:

Moffat, who was not a Freemason but often drank in the St. Kenneth Lodge’s bar, used the Kennoway Masonic Hall for two types of meetings. Firstly, regular private "strategy" meetings with Moffat and 10 other men occurred over 18 months. The UDA members discussed their plans in a closed room while lodge members drank at the Mason’s bar in the same building.

The second type of meeting was fund-raising events for loyalist causes in Northern Ireland. Up to 70 people attended three fundraisers held at the Masonic Hall over an 18-month period.

Wishart said, "The UDA infiltrated and used us for their illegal purposes. These people are very clever. We were trusting; they gained our confidence and then we were manipulated."

Masons | Masonic Terrorism | Ulster Defence Association | Steven Moffat | Russ Fine | Dee Fine | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Shriners | Sandy Frost | Burning Taper

I wonder if this event will find its way into Dan Brown's upcoming book The Solomon Key.