Today's news finds a disturbing story coming out of Huntersville, North Carolina (about 15 miles north of Charlotte), a story all the more disturbing if this man is actually a Freemason, which may well be the case, since most people who sport Masonic specialty plates on their vehicles are in fact Masons.Steven Benny Stone, age 59, allegedly held four people at gunpoint on Sunday. Shots were reported fired. Stone then fled the scene in his green 1995 Ford truck with Masonic lodge specialty tags 3375M.
Stone turned himself in to police on Monday. He is charged with second-degree kidnapping, assault by pointing a gun, communicating threats and assault on a female. ["Assault on a female" is the way the news story reads — I can't imagine there's a law on the books that differentiates between "assault on a man" and "assault on a woman." But I could be wrong.]
Holes in his house indicate he fired a shotgun twice and a handgun at least twice.
The four hostages were Stone's friends.
"I was terrified," said Justin Hinton. "I thought I was dead. Terry [another hostage] looked at me and was like, 'Man, I'll be surprised if we make it out of here alive.'"
"There was no reason for it. He was telling us to call him 'yes sir, Stevie Stone sir,' like he was in commando or something," Hinton said.
After holding his friends hostage for more than four-and-a-half hours, fearing for their lives, Stone let the hostages go when Hinton told Stone he was tired and wanted to go home.
"He said, 'Alright, I love you guys and I'll see you tomorrow,' like nothing ever happened," Hinton said.
Stone's housemate Rick Groce said that Stone had recently stopped taking his medication that kept his emotions in check, and that he had been drinking heavily over the weekend.
He and Hinton still believe Stone would never intentionally hurt anyone.
Stone is a Vietnam veteran who served with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, and Stone is now "fairly cooperative" with police.
In Georgia, and perhaps in other states, it is illegal to wear or display the Masonic Square and Compasses unless you are a Master Mason. Since he had Masonic plates on his truck, I'd guess that Stone is a Mason.
Masons | Masonic | Small Town Freemasonry | Freemasonry | BurningTaper.com | Grand Lodge of North Carolina | Steven Benny Stone | Burning Taper
Some of these meds hold back a lot of stuff that needs to be dealt with. When people go off their meds, all that stuff steps up and says "Hi! We're still here. Please begin screaming." I fell bad for this guy and for his friends--and his friendships. I hope it all works out for the best.
ReplyDeletemaybe he was mad at the prospect of the GL o NC one day recognizing Prince Halls as equals..
ReplyDeleteI guess it would upset racist masons.......
maybe all southern masons are on MEDS to keep their racists views in a majority?
Bro. Tubulcain,
ReplyDeleteYour last few comments have painted Southern Masons with a broad stroke, saying they're all racists. Certainly some are, but not all.
It was Georgia and Alabama Masons against racism who formed the United Grand Lodge of America. And last year in North Carolina, a majority of Masons voted to hold talks with Prince Hall Masons about recognition, but were overturned because their Grand Lodge had changed the number of votes it took to pass new legislation from a simple majority to a higher percentage.
I'd also like to remind you that *I* am a Southern Freemason, not on meds, and most decidedly not a racist.
— W.S.
my point WS,
ReplyDeleteguilt by association ...
they, the majority in control, are making a good man/mason like yourself, viewed as jesus loving, race hating human. I know your not, and many more are not, but when the racist values prevail, if a mason lives within the jurisdictions that refuse to recognise based on race, then ALL follow the rules and regulations of their respective GL's, then adhering to the GL's rules makes one a racist mason by default.
my sarcasm/satire was directed at the prospect that maybe masons down south are MEDED up to be able to move into the 21st century and still feel men are unequal based on race and that jesus has a place in the temple.If I the shoe does not fit, do not wear it, but many southern masons wear the rasict shoe and religious shoe with PRIDE.
No offense was meant towards you, but a system in which you belong to, and yet they have immoral policy? Paying dues to a racist organization, makes one a memebr of that racist group, which by proxy, YOU could be considered a racist by association. Again, I know YOU do not believe in their rasicts/religious fundamentalist policies, but by paying dues and being a card carrier of a rasict group, YOU could be lumped into that group, thats all.
Maybe when enough press or character assassination of good southern masons keeps happening, maybe the powers to be will be forced to move into the 21st century.
Again, WS, none of this is directed at you, just the majority hat seem to be able to perpetuate it into the 21st century.
peace and harmony always
Bro. Tubulcain, I have read many of your posts and it appears that you try to turn everthing into a race issue. This was an article about a person committing a crime while driving a vehicle with a Masonic plate and you used it as another opportunity to criticize the South and to label Southern Masons as racist. Not every issue is about race.
ReplyDeleteBut, since you want to discuss the Race issue, let me ask you this question. Have you ever visited Georgia or Alabama and tried to visit a Prince Hall lodge? If so, were you admitted with open arms and brotherly love? The answer would be "NO". Most Southern Prince Hall lodges do not want inter-visitation. They simply want to be recognized as Masons and not categoried as clandestine. Does this mean that all Southern Prince Hall Masons are racists as you have labled the white masons?
The "guilt by association" also does not work. Jessee Jackson, the leader of the rainbow coalition, once referred to New York as Hymie Town. This is a disparaging remark toward Jews. Does this mean that all members of the Rainbow Coalition are prejudiced against Jewish people? The Boy Scouts of America voted not to allow openly gay men to be Scout leaders. Does this mean that all Boy Scouts are Homophobes? NO. Not all members of the Rainbow Coalition are prejudice against Jews, not all Boy Scouts are Homophobes and not all Southern Masons are racist. Not even "by default" as you stated.
If the "guilt by association" were true, then YOU, my brother, would also be labled as racist. (If Southern Masons are racist, wouldn't this make ALL Masons racist by default?)
Character assassination and bad press will NOT, as you have stated, force any one to change their beliefs or change the way they do things. Character assassination and bad press may, however, keep good men from petitioning a lodge.
The issue is not religion and it is not race. The issue is "change". When discussing the issue of bringing a motion before the Grand Lodge on the issue of Prince Hall Masons, the number one response I have heard is not about race, but rather it is about change. Have you ever heard anyone in your lodge make the comment "this is the way its always been done"? Old Past Masters are more afraid of "change" than anything else.
There are many of us who are trying to change many issues in our Grand Lodge. One way we are trying to do this is by trying to set the example for future Brothers. We are guarding our inner door and we are trying to live by our obligations. We do not criticize other Masons. (not even our confused Northern Brethren)
How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.
No, I have not visited PH's in those states, only because I have yet to travel into those states.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I know of PHA masons from Ohio who cannot enter a PHA lodge in those states either because of childish recognition/jurisdiction codes. If Pha's of Ohio want to stay in good graces with their MS counterpart, they themselves cannot sit masonically with those PHA's from unrecognized jurisdiction
LOGIC: one of the 7 liberal arts and science taught is a lowly FC, where is the LOGIC in these possesive, territorial rules of recognition.
My satire/sarcasm was trying to paint the pictur of a southern mason who sees the light of PHA's becoming recognized one day and is emotionally upset about it, so he is meded up to deal with the prospect of his GL seeing PHA's as equals.
I think it is funny and sense of humors should not be judged.
and if is not about race iwth southern masons, then what is it about?
GL o AL still has on the books saying masonry id for caucasians and negroes are not equal.
What is that about?
UGLE's stance on PHA is where this non recognition comes from?
Until getting focus off of how to make members(not masons) in a day and advertising on NASCAR, clean up our act nationally and let us lead by example for interested seekers, not by quick fixes to fill the coffers in a day or lure in dummies and idiots(freemasonry for dummies, and complete idiots guide to freemasonry) to refill the old decaying ranks in masonry.
And as a PM I did battle the resistence to change from the east. It sucked to see PM's subvert you, bitch moan and etc..
Call their cronies to vote something down. Been there and done that.
But on a positive note, in my other blue lodge, we have battled and ran off the last of the PM's to other lodges by tripling the dues, they could not block that vote, so they all demitted because they apparently do not believe in supporting their blue lodges.
I've stood on the floor at Grand Communication and voiced my displeasures and almost lost my card.
I called DDGM's on the carpet for turning blind eyes to "illegal?" unmasonic actions, but NOBODY wanted to hear.
So believe me, northern masonry is no better, but I do speak from much experience dealing with union thugs trying to bully masons arouns the lodge and disticts.
I am not one who gets bullied!
I am not one who fears a GL officer.
I am not one who fears shining light on dark topics within the frat at the expense of my dues card, right is right.
I had a PM tell me to calm down on that situation I mentioned because of my masonic career!
who joins masonry for a carreer?
Injustice was happening in a temple, GL was turning a blind eye, and a grave injustice was about to go down until I threatened to STEP DOWN as the sitting master if GL does not handle this on the level.
Ever go a year and every month have your charter threatened by GL because you won't dance to the bully/illogic demands game?
And only using the charter threat beacuase some people wanted the building sold instead of saved(profits from a sale?) and we saved it, it had to battle our GL instead of support and brotherly love.
so my perspective is different than yours and most, probably.
My hands are very dirty from many masonic battles, I would love to not battle, but I am a fighter by nature and will not see injustice prevail as long as I can.
Because a lodge is filled with single young professionals, is it right that 33rd's and kych's tell all their cronies that they all fags?
because they are single, does that make them fags? Oh, but the highest ranking masons in our area were spreading some of the worst rumors about fellow masons and not one GL officers put a stop to it!
so, I've only spewed a thumbnails worth of masonic crap I've experienced!
Usually a situation is a microsm of the macrocosm!
is my sense of humor worse or better than Illustrious michael richards?
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