Jester Ronald Tills sentenced to 18 months, fined $25,000, for human trafficking

In a recent Huffington Post article about human trafficking, Robin Sax, a former district attorney, writes:

Trafficking happens right here at home, not just in poor places by "pimps." Surprisingly, it often involves people you would never expect. For example, just last week, Ronald H. Tills, 74, a retired US State Supreme Court Justice, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on a felony charge of transporting prostitutes across state lines.

In this case, Tills was trafficking a young illegal woman to serve as a prostitute at a convention he was attending. A human trafficking task force investigated the case. Its members included investigators from the FBI, U. S. Border Patrol, and U. S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, as well as the Erie and Niagara County sheriff's offices. But this never really made the news — few people heard about it.

As I pondered the case, I couldn't help wondering why most of us hadn't heard about it. Perhaps there were other pressing news bits, but what is more pressing then protecting children and other victims of sexual assault? Is it more important to know whether Dr. Conrad Murray is going to be charged for manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death? Or is it more likely that human trafficking is a crime we simply don't understand — mostly because of a simple problem with semantics?

Former New York State Supreme Court Judge is also a Mason. He was convicted of violating the federal Mann Act by transporting a woman across state lines to have sex with his fellow Masons, all members of the Shrine subgroup the Royal Order of Jesters.

At one time, according to the Buffalo News (as posted by New York attorney Scott H. Greenfield on his blog Simple Justice, "Tills had the reputation as one of the toughest sentencing judges in Western New York during his ten years as a State Supreme Court judge." He was particular hard when sentencing... wait for it... prostitutes!

Former judge and former brother Tills was sentenced in August to 18 months in federal prison and a $25,000 fine. The woman he took with him to a Jester meeting, called a "book," was an illegal alien who could barely speak English.

Tills is a recovering alcoholic and suffers from heart disease. In his statement before Judge William Skretny, Tills talked about the "possible harm" he caused his victims.

"I pray for their help and recovery if there is any damage, and I pray for their forgiveness."

Tills had also once served as a State Assemblyman and head trustee of his church.

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Ronald Tills | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of New York | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Jester Michael Stebick avoids jail time for role in prostitution scandal

Here's more television footage from Buffalo's WIVB on the Royal Order of Jesters scandal. This one is about former law clerk and prosecutor Michael Stebick's sentencing.

If you prefer to read the news story rather than view it, click here.



Masons | Masonic Scandal | Michael Stebick | Freemasonry | Royal Order of Jesters | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

TV footage of Jester's court appearance

Here's a video news report about Royal Order of Jesters' members Ronald Tills, John Trowbridge and Michael Stibeck, from WIVB-TV, Channel 4 in Buffalo, NY.



Masons | Ronald Tills | John Trowbridge | Freemasonry | Michael Stebick | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Retired police captain sentenced in Jester-prostitute probe

One of the three Masons who pleaded guilty to transporting prostitutes across state lines to service brothers at Royal Order of Jesters' weekend "Books" has been sentenced to two years probation for his crimes, the Buffalo News reported today.

Former Lockport, NY police captain John Trowbridge said he was sorry.

"The more I thought about it, the more I didn't like it," Trowbridge told U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. "They [the illegal alien women] come here with great expectations.... These people are way too often overlooked. They're victims."

"When confronted with the ugliness of his actions, [Trowbridge] did the right thing," U.S. Attorney Robert Moscati said.

One of Trowbridge's partners in crime, former law clerk Michael Stebick, was sentenced in December, 2008 to four months of home confinement, 250 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine. I hope he didn't spend those 250 hours standing at an intersection wearing a fez.

Former New York Supreme Court Justice Ronald H. Tills, the Moe to Stebick and Trowbridge's Larry and Curly (those rascally imps!) returned to court today for his slap on the wrist.

U.S District Judge William M. Skretny called the crime a "very serious matter," but went easy on the former police officer because he cooperated in the Jesters probe.

"It's not a matter to be taken lightly," Skretny said of the crimes. "It involved the dehumanization of victims of human trafficking.... What you did was a disgrace to you, an insult to your wife and a disgrace to your profession."

Human trafficking is the politically correct term for slavery. This "very serious matter" is apparently punishable by four months' of having to stay home and a bit of community service, or at most, occasionally reporting in to your probation officer who is probably already a friend.

Of passing interest: The March 2008 press release by the FBI announcing Trowbridge's guilty plea

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | John Trowbridge | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in

Last weekend I was driving home from the grocery store. As I approached an intersection, I noticed a fez-wearing Shriner standing in the road, shaking his paint-bucket at drivers as they crawled past him.

Arm after arm appeared from a car or truck, each dropping coins or bills into his bucket.

"It's for the children," I'm sure most of the brains attached to those arms rationalized to themselves, as they blew their own kids' lunch money in an attempt to feel charitable.

"Brother, don't you know where most of that cash is going?" I wanted to cry out.

"Somewhere between two and twenty-five percent of what you collect might make it to 'the children.' The rest is for the parties, for the booze, for the hookers... and you, good brother, probably won't even be invited!"

Yeah, I'm still jaded. Ignorance is bliss, and I'm no longer ignorant about some of the "secrets" of Freemasonry.

The financial misappropriations and the sexual improprieties in the Shrine and in their subgroup the Royal Order of Jesters are no longer secrets. Investigative reporter Sandy Frost, as well as the New York Times and the Buffalo News have splashed their findings across their front pages.

Three Masons/Shriners/Jesters — a judge, a former police captain, and an attorney — have pleaded guilty in upstate New York to transporting prostitutes across state lines to service "brothers" at Jester parties. Gary N. Martin, the head of the Jester organization, claims the group knows nothing about such activities, and says that the actions of these men were "extremely isolated events."

While the ROJ leadership denies everything, more and more Jesters and former Jesters have been spilling the secrets about what goes on at a "Book": humiliating hazings including having to walk around naked all weekend carrying a brick tied to a string tied to your penis, fellatio contests, rampant alcohol and drug use, and more.

Is it true? I can't say; I can only report what I've read and what I've been personally told by brothers who were members of the ROJ.

According to an article in the May 4 Buffalo News:

Retired State Supreme Court Justice Ronald Tills; his former law clerk, Michael R. Stebick of Orchard Park; and retired Lockport police Capt. John Trowbridge all pleaded guilty to transporting prostitutes across state lines. Trowbridge is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Buffalo’s federal court, and Tills is scheduled for a pre-sentencing conference Thursday.

The FBI is still investigating a "human sex slave" network that involves a "massage parlor" where prostitutes who are said to have been at Jester functions "worked."

And Brazilian authorities have now brought charges against an American who allegedly organized "fishing trips" for Jesters which were really alcohol-drug-sex party cruises with underage Brazilian girls.

Why bring this up again, and why now?, you might be asking. Didn't I write months ago that I was done talking about the problems within Freemasonry, and that I would only write about "good stuff"?

Apparently, no news has been "good news," because I haven't written very much on this blog since I said that in early March.

In hindsight, though, I realize that despite my disgust, The Burning Taper exists and always has existed as a Point of Light in the Masonic World, a Light that has for nearly four years shined on the good and the bad within Freemasonry.

For most of its existence, The Burning Taper had one or the other, sometimes both, of these quotations as its masthead:

• You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in. — Arlo Guthrie


• And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. — John 1:5

It's time these powerful statements were placed back into their positions of prominence, and time for The Burning Taper to return to its mission of shining the Light of Freemasonry upon Freemasonry.

Be Seeing You.

—W.S.

Masons | Masonic Trial | Ronald Tills | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Eyes wide shut: A kinder, gentler Burning Taper?

I once wrote that the flame of The Burning Taper may flicker and burn less bright for a while, but that it would never be extinguished.

And that's true.

But as you may have noticed, The Taper ain't what it used to be. Once (or so I choose to believe) it was the most-read Masonic-related blog in the world. Up to 14,000 unique visitors dropped by each month. I was sometimes writing two or three posts a day, often stirring up controversy or shining a light on the darker side of Freemasonry.

I enjoyed it immensely.

So what happened? Burnout? Apathy?

No.

Like the survivors on the television series Lost, who for a while were having their lives changed over and over by shifts in time, my life changed, in a couple of ways.

For most of the time I've published The Burning Taper, I had a nice, cushy job with an ample salary. Much of my work I could do with a few keystrokes on my computer. Writing articles for The Taper just came naturally, mixed in between button-pushing for work.

The recession hit the company I was working for early, late last summer, and along with several co-workers across the country, my employment contract was not renewed. I had to find new work, and join the majority of workers who actually get up and leave their house each morning.

So, obviously, my mind and my time were taken up with things non-Masonic and non-Burning Taper-related.

My intention over the past three and a half years in publishing The Burning Taper has never been to "destroy" Freemasonry, as some have suggested. What I have been doing is exploring and investigating Masonry, to discover what it "really" is, from my own perspective. From the first day I spoke to my investigating committee, it has never seemed like what I expected it to be, or what it is billed to be, or even what those men on the investigation committee assured me that it truly was.

I've discovered Freemasonry is a "whole 'nuther animal."

It isn't a giant conspiracy to control the world as the fundie Christian wackos would have us believe, though, as I quickly found out, there are conspiracies and cabals galore in Masonry, even in my own lodge.

Neither has it appeared to really be "dedicated to the holy Saints John, erected to God..." as we're told. Religious hypocrisy abounds, as I also soon discovered, again in my own lodge.

Don't get me wrong. I still love Freemasonry — the concept, anyway — and over the years I have come to know, love and trust many Masons who, like me, see in Masonry a real brotherhood based on compassion and mutual respect for our fellow human.

But by and large, especially here in the South, I've met or heard about way too many Masons who use their supposed "power" to try to control (and sometimes wreck) others' lives, or who use Masonry as a "cover" for their shenanigans, racism, and intolerance.

Even worse than that, though, are the Masons who remain in denial about the wrongs they see done in the name of Freemasonry, and the many sheep who blindly follow their "leaders" because they think their "obligations" are to men, not God.

A certain set of events last autumn is what directly led to me posting less regularly to The Taper, and to my having much less interest in Masonry in general.

I interviewed two Masons — one by email, and the other face-to-face in a three-hour conversation. One was a former member of the Royal Order of Jesters; the other was still an active member of the Jesters. One of the men is a fourth-generation Mason; his grandfather was Grand Master of his state's grand lodge. I saw an official printed "program" for a recent national Jester meeting. On that program I saw that a recent Grand Master from my own state was a Jester, and I recognized the names of other "high-ranking" Masons from Georgia.

Everything you're heard or read about the Jesters is true, according to my sources. The Jesters meet regularly, in four-star hotels all across the country, for what can best be called "sex parties."

My two sources told similar stories. They both said the actions of former judge Ronald Tills and his Masonic Jester pals in New York state, who have pleaded guilty to transporting prostitutes across state lines to attend Jester parties, are typical of Jesters, and are not simply "isolated incidents" of a "few bad apples."

I have no reason to doubt them.

Upon advice of several brothers whose counsel I value and trust, I never published these interviews, and won't, because neither source wanted his identity revealed. And without "verification," who would believe them?

Would these interviews put The Taper on the front page of The New York Times? I doubt it. Corruption, law-breaking and "perversion" don't attract headlines like they once did, unless the subject is mega-famous. People still love Michael Vick and Michael Phelps and Michael Jackson. Why would they care that a bunch of wrinkled old Freemasons like to get naked and jack off while watching a hooker go down on the new guy?

Would most rank-and-file blue lodge Masons even believe my sources? I doubt it.

I'm not disgusted that this kind of activity goes on. Whatever consenting adults do behind closed doors is okay with me.

But I am disgusted that it goes on under the umbrella of Freemasonry.

---

That's the last I intend to say about the Jesters, and hopefully the last "negative" thing I write about Freemasonry. If you want to know more about the Jesters, search this blog. There have been several articles about them in the past year or so.

When I begin posting regularly again to The Burning Taper, I intend to focus on positive, uplifting ideas about how we can heal and improve ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The Taper won't be about Freemasonry per se, but it will, I hope, encourage true Masonic tenets and ideals. Life is much too short to focus on the negative, as I have for the past few years, and now that I've taken both your consciousness and mine to the lowest of the low in the "family" of Freemasonry by discussing the Jesters' whoring around, the only place we can go is Up.

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Third Jester pleads guilty to transporting hooker to Jester party

Following in the footsteps of his mirthful pals former state prosecutor Bro. Michael Stebick and former police captain Bro. John Trowbridge, former New York State Supreme Court judge Bro. Ronald Tills pleaded guilty last week to violations of the federal Mann Act, for transporting a prostitute across state lines to provide sexual services to fellow members of the Masons-only Royal Order of Jesters, the Department of Justice reported in a press release on September 4.

Bro. Tills further admitted to five additional instances of hiring and transporting prostitutes to Royal Order of Jesters parties in other states and to Ontario, Canada.

According to the DOJ press release, the "men's organization... held weekend meetings where it was their custom to make women available to the members for sexual activities in exchange for money."

Investigative reporter Sandy Frost has been covering this story for months. You can read her latest article and a recap of previous articles about this issue on her news site.

It is unknown at this time whether the Grand Lodge of New York or the local lodge(s) of these brothers have taken any steps toward bringing charges of unmasonic conduct against these or other brothers who may have been involved.

Bro. Tills, 73, who was one of the toughest sentencing judges ever in western New York during his ten years on the bench, will be sentenced on January 21, 2009. He could face up to 21 months in prison, the Buffalo News reported.

As the story of these three former public servants has unfolded, many Masonic commentators on this blog and elsewhere have continually insisted this was an "isolated" case involving "individual Masons who are making these poor decisions." The latest such comment attempting to whitewash Jester activities was posted here just hours ago.

That the former judge admitted to at least six instances of impropriety in several different locales pretty much discredits the idea that Jesters enjoying the services of prostitutes is an "isolated" event. To the contrary, there is every indication that the primary nature and reason for existence of Royal Order of Jesters events is that of a sexual festival.

Even dismissing for the moment the moral implications of married Masons f***ing hookers in front of each other, one must ask a simple question: Are these three men, all trained in law and/or law enforcement, so ignorant of the law that they'd violate a federal statute just to get laid? I mean, c'mon, there are whores everywhere! Why hire one in New York and take her to Kentucky, when I'm sure there were hookers available in Kentucky that weekend? Were the Kentucky brothers tired of the local girls, and in need of some fresh poontang? Or was there some sort of Jester tradition where out-of-state visitors (such as Bros. Stebick, Trowbridge and Tills) earn "points" or "bragging rights" for bringing with them a "gift" or "the best lay of the weekend"? The mind boggles....

The FBI investigation is continuing into the Jesters' involvement in human trafficking and prostitution. Bro. Tills has agreed to provide "proactive cooperation" in the ongoing probe, and the length and nature of his sentence may depend on how helpful he is in the ongoing investigation.

Image: Former state Supreme Court judge and Freemason/Jester Ronald H. Tills arriving at federal court in Buffalo, NY on Thursday, Sept. 4

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Ronald Tills | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of New York | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Second Jester pleads guilty in prostitution case

Micheal Stebick, former prosecutor for the Erie County, New York district attorney's office, former New York State Supreme Court law clerk, Freemason, Shriner and former Impressario of the Jesters Buffalo Court #18, has pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiring to violate the federal Mann Act after admitting to driving a prostitute from New York to Kentucky in a motor home so she could be "rented out" for sex to members of the Royal Order of Jesters at one of their weekend "meetings."

Stebick is the second Jester to enter into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors for Mann Act violations. Last March, retired police captain John Trowbridge pleaded guilty to one felony count of violating the Mann Act by transporting prostitutes to Jester parties in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Ronald Tills, the former New York Supreme Court judge, is also under investigation for violations of the Mann Act, but has not made any pleas or agreements with federal officials.

As part of his plea agreement, Stebick forfeited his motorhome which was used to take the prostitute to a Jester party in Kentucky.

This matter goes deeper than just some horny old guys taking a hooker to a party, according to Sandy Frost's article at Newsvine. Government documents show that Stebick, Trowbridge and (so far allegedly) Tills hired the prostitute from Len Wah Chong, owner of massage and acupressure businesses, who in April pleaded guilty to Sex Trafficking of Persons by Force, Fraud and Coercion. Chong allegedly used the businesses as fronts for prostitution and had up to 11 illegal alien women kept as "sex slaves."

I can hear the Masonic apologists' even now.

"The Shriners and/or Jesters do great things for 'the children,' and Widow's Son is painting the entire group with a broad brush based on the actions of a few 'bad apples.'"

The three "bad apples" could have had, and probably did have, their way with the woman in the motor home without transporting her from New York to the Jester party in Kentucky. They took her to Kentucky to service the sexual appetites of many "bad apples" waiting there. I'm sure those Jesters were just as anxious and then happy to see the guys with the girl arrive at their party as elderly blue lodgers are to see their young Junior Warden show up with a box of donuts before a meeting.

Image: A 2000 Challenger 335 MHA motorhome, similar to the one forfeited per Michael Stebick's plea agreement.

Masons | Shriners | Michael Stebick | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of New York | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Witness ID's Jester sex-tourists as 'Masons'

In her recent article about the ongoing case involving underage sex-for-hire "fishing" trips by members of the Masonic-related Royal Order of Jesters, investigative reporter Sandy Frost included an excerpt from a deposition by a witness, Brazilian fishing guide Adilson Garcia da Silva.

In his 61-page deposition, Adilson described how certain American men he identified as being "Masons" returned year after year to Brazil for fishing expeditions that involved having sex with minor Brazilian girls. The females, some as young as 13, were hired, Adilson said, to provide "programs" that consisted of "oral sex, strip and dance contests."

In other Jesters news, The Buffalo News reported Saturday at least two Erie County, New York deputies have been caught up in the federal prostitution investigation which has already led former Niagara County police captain John Trowbridge to plead guilty to violation of the Mann Act. Also under investigation for "spreading the gospel of mirth and merriment" by spreading a prostitute's legs are former New York Supreme Court judge Ronald H. Tills and attorney and court clerk Michael Stebick.

The two unnamed deputies were implicated last week as being part of the Jesters group that transported prostitutes across state lines in violation of the Mann Act. Trowbridge was the owner of a recreational vehicle (RV) that was used to drive at least one prostitute to a Jesters function in another state.

The Royal Order of Jesters is a group made up of approximately 23,000 Shriners. The Shrine accepts into their membership only men who are Masons in good standing.

The Jesters try to take the "highest caliber Shriners we can get" who distinguish themselves in the community, Alex Rogers, business manager at the Jesters' Indianapolis headquarters, told reporters in March when this story first broke.

"We try to keep the cream of the crop," he said.

Another recent article by Sandy Frost ties the "whole thing" together, from her initial investigation into former Shriner Vernon Hill's allegations through the financial records and Shriner hospital records through the allegations of sexual impropriety by Jesters in Brazil and Buffalo.

Image: Royal Order of Jesters member and federal court witness Bro. Don Anderson showing off his peacock bass, taken sometime between Aug. 31 and Sept. 9, 2005, during a Brazilian fishing expedition. See the Wet-A-Line website for more photos.

Masons | Shriners | Royal Order of Jesters | Freemasonry | Prostitution | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

'Mirth Missives' publisher responds to 'Taper' article

In the spirit of fairness and brotherhood, I'm reprinting below a recent email I received from TazMack, the publisher of Mirth Missives, the Jester-oriented email newsletter that was mentioned in The Taper last week.

TazMack's email:

I have been looking at your web site for, I guess, about two years now. I believe that you and Mr. Bryce bring a balanced and much needed perspective to many Masonic topics. I agree with your opening article that there is too much personal attacking going on and applaud your efforts to curb this. I believe that will lead to a greater participation.

I really would like you to get a little perspective on your story about my emails, Mirth Missives. Quotes from your article are in bold, and my explanation/response in normal face type. NOT every comment in your article receives this treatment.

I would like to thank you in advance for at least considering what I am about to relate. What you do with the information is up to you.

Sandy Frost has, alas, fooled you on several points. I shall try to enlighten you in hopes that you will edit your article to reflect the truth, as opposed to her “intuitive reporting”. But, again, what you actually do is up to you.

I never sent Sandy Frost an actual Mirth Missive. If you would like to see an actual, true copy of one, I will gladly send you one. Pick a Sunday Date in, lets say, Spring 2007 and I’ll send it to you.

The little figure you show of me jumping out of the computer is a copyrighted item, but you may use it if you so desire.

[Quote from The Taper] A February 2008 issue of a privately-owned, "unofficial" Jester-oriented newsletter titled Mirth Missives carried this comment atop its front page: [/end quote]

Notice that nowhere in any of the emails does it claim to be or insinuate that it is a Jester’s only email. This is a fiction Sandy picked up from a shrine web site --- a single anonymous source, her favorite kind of source. I had nothing to do with the web site and as soon as Sandy gave me the url, I asked them to take it down. They complied.

The e-mail has Jester information, but it is not a Jester e-mail. It has Masonic information, but it is not a masonic e-mail. It has patriotic information, but it is not a patriotic e-mail.

The disclaimer clearly states that

"This private e-mail correspondence is not affiliated with or endorsed by any corporation, organization or Internet Service Provider. The material contained herein is solely the responsibility of the author."

Additionally, this email goes to more non-Jesters than Jesters... more profane than Masons. So. Please be accurate when you describe the email as oriented towards one group or another.

into that which would rather remain hidden"

The things to remain hidden are the names, email addresses, phone numbers and other private information of members. We would not like this information exposed to crooks, who might be able to steal identities or harass men. This is the very information that she attempted to publish, causing me to assert my copyright to that information.

Would you like all the names and e-mails addresses of your subscribers published? Of course not. It’s a matter of privacy and security.

[Quote from The Taper] I don't agree with her that the contents are truly pornographic, but they are crude, juvenile, sexist and racist. The quality of the "humor" and the general layout of the e-zine remind me of something a 13-year old would create and enjoy. [/end quote]

As I prove weekly, I am not a computer professional. I am an old man doing something that keeps me busy. I do not have the computer skills of you younger folks. Think "am old geezer who types with one finger sitting at a computer".

The email also clearly states that you should pick and chose what you read. Not every item is for every recipient. Sexism and racism are in the eye of the beholder, so you have your opinion and I have mine. Clearly, you did not agree with Sandy's judgement that the e-mail was pornographic. So honest differences of opinion exist.

I don’t write the stuff, I just compile and pass it on. And just like everything else in this world, not everyone’s taste is the same. That’s why they make BOTH chocolate and vanilla.

[Quote from The Taper] If you read the comments section on Ms. Frost's article, you'll note that Mirth Missives publisher TazMack has been raising hell over the "leak" of his newsletter (he's the one who sent her a sample issue) and the list of several hundred subscribers, claiming "copyright violation." [/end quote]

I did not raise hell. I sent her the form letter that I got off the internet asking that she remove copyrighted material. Specifically, the names and email addresses of people on the directory --- as stated, this is not a subscription list, it is a directory. Past Grand Masters are on there so that other men may send them messages. The "leak" of the newsletter is irrelevant, as it is as secret as the thunder.

The “subscription list” is not a subscription list: it is a directory. Just as every person in your telephone book does not get a call from you, not everyone listed in the roster gets Mirth Missives. The actual Mirth Missive subscription list is less than 300 people. The Directory is a separate e-mail service, and Mirth Missives is another, and the other lists and notices I send to other lists are all separate and distinct, having little to do with each other.

Most people on that Directory list do get, however, what I call "GLOOM" --- obituaries.

And, by the way, I do not have a son who is a Judge, and me and my boys live in a different county from that judge. Just another example of her relying on a single source and not checking facts.

[Quote from The Taper] there's very little in the newsletter that is original.[/end quote]

Sadly true --- I compile and pass along items sent to me by subscribers, and the contributor is clearly noted before each submission. I am just not clever enough to compose too much original --- except, as you noted, for my good friend Fricke, and even most of that material is not original.

yeah, the part about controlled drugs)

Read the article. An unidentified man offers his left over blood pressure and diabetes medication. There were no takers. How many times have you been at lodge or church and hear one person offer another their excess medications. “I’d rather give it away than flush it away” was the way I understood the article.

[Quote from The Taper] The use of snippets from the newsletter that I'm publishing here falls under the Fair Use Clause. [/end quote]

That’s fine with me.

Here's the e-zine's disclaimer:

Thanx for lifting the status to e-zine … but it is not an e-zine and never aspires to be one.

Also, you left out the first part of the disclaimer, about not being endorsed by or affiliated with any organization..

"Mirth Missives is not for everyone. Particularly in business settings, some of the material may be problematic, possibly leading to sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination charges. To protect you and me, please do not receive Mirth Missives on a computer at your place of employment, or on a computer owned or installed at any fraternal or civic organization site. If you decide to print a copy of Mirth Missives, treat it as you would any other confidential mail and do not leave it lying around for prying eyes."

A little background would be enlightening... About 12 years ago, a man who worked with me received an email from a coworker on the company server. The email contained a joke that he found amusing -- it was not dirty --- it was a very clean joke about Southern Baptists not drinking in front of each other. His secretary opened the email and immediately took offense. She sued him and the company … and she won. After this gal won her suit, she complained about another coworker who kept an open bible on her desk. The coworker was obliged to take her bible home. Get my drift?

That is why the disclaimer is there. In our litigious society, people sue over anything and nothing

[Quote from The Taper] In closing, let me leave you with a joke or two from Mirth Missives.

Why not quote the non-objectionable parts... like the Roast Lines, or Yogi-Berra-Isms, or the Masonic Moment, or the Thought for the Day or the For the Trestle Board, or the Obituaries … a little balance would be nice.

I guess if your humor-meter is still stuck in the sixth grade and you spend your time at church trying to look up women's dresses, you might find Mirth Missives your "cup of tea," suitable for any private "men's organization." [/end quote]

See my comments about “Chocolate and Vanilla”.

[Quote from The Taper] But these men are Freemasons. These are the “pillars of the community.” Many of these men are present or past “illustrious potentates” and 33rd degree poobahs. The publisher of Mirth Missives wears a 33rd degree white hat.[/end quote]

I would like you to take note that you have been mis-led. This email goes to more non-Masons than Masons. The fact that some Masons enjoy potty humor does not mean that ALL masons enjoy potty humor. AND --- this is not an email that goes exclusively to Masons.

Also, the fact that someone's email address is listed in the directory does not indicate that he is a subscriber to Mirth Missives.

[Quote from The Taper] I've seen the distribution list of Mirth Missives.[/end quote]

Again, what Sandy sent you was a directory that has nothing to do with Mirth Missives per se. AND the majority of the people listed are not on the distribution list ---- but they are all Jesters. Should it be against someone's code to allow a directory of members of an organization to be published to other members?

[Quote from The Taper] I just find it disturbing that you're doing it en masse under the banner of a group associated with Freemasonry.[/end quote]

Please, be fair. This is not done under any organizations banner. And 300 is hardly en masse.

Sandy's half-truths, mis-leading rhetorical questions and sensationalism are but a few of the reasons she is so discredited. And she would greatly benefit from a fact-checker.

Widow's Son, I have held you in high regard for your insights and objectivity and ask that you fairly evaluate what I have related in this email. I trust that any Mason being thus enlightened would want to be a little more evenhanded. Even with a Mason who enjoys the occasional potty joke.

Thank you for reading this

Sincerely and Fraternally

TazMack

PS --- if you think the jokes I sent were full of foul language, crude and sexists, you should see what I reject and just cant clean up.

And you can ignore the copyright at the end of this email --- it is automatically added to all my emails ... even Mirth Missives --- reprint what you like from this email.

I appreciate TazMack's email to me and am reprinting it with his permission in its entirety.

As I ponder this, I see that I have treated his Mirth Missives email newsletter in a similar way to how many of my own detractors have treated The Burning Taper — as if it is actually a Masonic publication instead of it being a publication by a Mason.

Just as I find many of his jokes, cartoons and other content "unmasonic," so too do many people find the contents of The Burning Taper "unmasonic." As TazMack says in his email, "chocolate and vanilla." We all have different likes and dislikes, different opinions of what is "moral" or "Masonic."

I regret and apologize for assuming the roster of Jester members was the subscription list for Mirth Missives.

As a firm supporter of free speech and a free press, I believe that TazMack has the right to publish his Mirth Missives and send it to whomever he chooses.

Masons | Mirth Missives | Royal Order of Jesters | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

'Secrets' of Freemasonry?

When Bro. Hodapp told the world last week that the newly sworn-in governor of New York, David Paterson, was a Freemason, I was elated that finally there was an upright and honorable Mason in the public spotlight, one who would help restore Freemasonry's image, most recently tarnished by the Royal Order of Jesters prostitute story from upstate New York.

Alas, Bro. Paterson hadn't even moved his stuff into the governor's mansion before he announced that both he and his wife had had extramarital affairs. Less than a week later, the news is splashed with his "confessions" that he has used cocaine and marijuana.

As a libertarian, I don't care what he's done regarding sex or drugs. Probably half the adults in America have done similar things. In my opinion, his "transgressions" have no bearing on his ability to carry out the duties of his office. He's to be admired for 'fessing up, I suppose, not because he should have, but because sooner or later a reporter would have brought it up anyway.

But as a Freemason, I'm a bit saddened. A public figure like Gov. Paterson could have led to Freemasonry gaining some positive press, and led me to write an inspiring, upbeat, positively glowing, triumphant article about the return of quality Masonic leadership.

Instead, he's reinforced our image as partying sex addicts.


More on the Royal Jesters story out of Buffalo

Speaking of partying, sex-crazed Masons.... Former police chief, former Jester (recent news articles say he's been "kicked out" of the club) and former (I assume) Masonic brother John Trowbridge pleaded guilty last Thursday to transporting a woman from New York to Kentucky to provide prostitution services at a Royal Order of Jesters get-together in 2005. He also admitted to taking a hooker to a Jester event in Pennsylvania in 2006.

Also charged in the case were former New York Supreme Court Justice Ron Tills and his law clerk, Michael Stebick. Presumably both men have not yet made a plea and will stand trial for violation of the federal Mann Act.


"Mirth Missives"

Investigative reporter Sandy Frost has apparently angered certain Jesters with her recent articles. A February 2008 issue of a privately-owned, "unofficial" Jester-oriented newsletter titled Mirth Missives carried this comment atop its front page:

A self styled "Investigative reporter, author and researcher into that which would rather remain hidden" named Sandy Frost, who lives in the Seattle area, has acquired the name and phone numbers of many Jesters. She is calling them to get an interview to bash the ROJ. You know what to do is [sic] she calls you. You can read her poison at:

http://sandyfrost.newsvine.com

Please communicate this information to your fellow Jesters at your next Court or Biliken [sic] Club gathering.

In a recent article, Ms. Frost described the contents of the newsletter as being so "pornographic as well as so sexually, racially and religiously offensive, that I will not link to it."

I don't agree with her that the contents are truly pornographic, but they are crude, juvenile, sexist and racist. The quality of the "humor" and the general layout of the e-zine remind me of something a 13-year old would create and enjoy.

Mirth Missives is peppered with cartoons that appear to be from a Playboy-type magazine. One comic panel shows a man, pants around his ankles, bending over a doctor's examining table. The caption reads, "Don't be embarrassed. You think your [sic] the first guy whose wife shoved the remote up his ass?"

There are several jokes about Viagra, including a "Fricke Door Sign," which reads: "I'm on Prozac, Rogaine and Viagra. I'm happy, hairy and horny."

One photo, intended to be "mirthful," I assume, shows an older couple sitting on a park bench, with the man reaching inside the woman's blouse. A caption added by TazMack, the publisher, says, "Fricke Spotted in the Park Last Week." Apparently, Fricke is a dentist and fellow Jester that TazMack often kids in the newsletter.

Another photo shows a man holding a sign that says, "Sorry. I'm blind. Can I feel your tits?"

If you read the comments section on Ms. Frost's article, you'll note that Mirth Missives publisher TazMack has been raising hell over the "leak" of his newsletter (he's the one who sent her a sample issue) and the list of several hundred subscribers, claiming "copyright violation." Amusingly (the only thing amusing about the newsletter), there's very little in the newsletter that is original. Other than the pokes at Fricke, the opening bit that warns about Ms. Frost's "poison," a disclaimer and one other small section that I will refrain from discussing at this time (read Sandy's article and TazMack's comment — yeah, the part about controlled drugs), all the material has been copied from other sources.

In respect of TazMack's claim of "copyright," I'm refraining from publishing the entire contents of the newsletter or linking to it. The use of snippets from the newsletter that I'm publishing here falls under the Fair Use Clause. The fact that the newsletter itself contains explicit instructions on how to forward it pretty much demolishes any claim that the newsletter is a "protected communication."

Do Not Forward This Entire E-Mail

If you decide to forward a joke or jokes via e-mail, please use your "copy and paste" feature to send just the joke, removing the headers, footers, addresses and unsuitable material.

Here's how to do it:

Point to the first letter of the text you want to copy and left click and hold down and drag the pointer to the end of the text and then let up on the left button. Now hover the pointer over the highlighted text and right click and choose copy from the pull down menu. Now open a new fresh write mail form and point to the main body of the new mail and right click and then touch on paste. Wham the copied text is pasted into your mail. Now select the subject and who you want to send it to and touch on send.

OR

Go to the joke or information you want to send. You can press control+shift+end to select to the end of the document or control+shift+down arrow to the end of the joke. Then, press control+c for copy. Then create a new message and then press control+v to paste the information.

Here's the e-zine's disclaimer:

"Mirth Missives is not for everyone. Particularly in business settings, some of the material may be problematic, possibly leading to sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination charges. To protect you and me, please do not receive Mirth Missives on a computer at your place of employment, or on a computer owned or installed at any fraternal or civic organization site. If you decide to print a copy of Mirth Missives, treat it as you would any other confidential mail and do not leave it lying around for prying eyes."

In closing, let me leave you with a joke or two from Mirth Missives. [Warning: Contains the F-word.]

A parrot developed the bad habit of screwing the farmer's hens, making them quit laying.

The farmer tells the parrot if he does it again he will pull out every feather in the parrot's head.

The next day, the farmer again catches the parrot humping a hen, and snatches the parrot bald.

The following day, the farmer's wife hosts a formal dinner. She thinks it would be unique if the parrot greeted the guests and told them where to go. She had spent nearly a year training the parrot for this.

As the guests began entering, the parrot dutifully announced, "Ladies to the right! Gentlemen to the left!"

Spotting two bald guys entering, the parrot says, "And you two chicken-fuckers get up here with me."

Mirth really is king, huh?

Oh, sorry. Was that not funny? What about this one?

Abe went to a brothel and told the madam, "I want a girl with big boobs and a small box."

"Why?" she asked him.

"Never mind!" replied Abe. "I`m paying for it. I want a girl with big tits and a small cooze!"

"No problem," said the madam. "Go straight up the stairs to room 23."

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and a young woman walked in.

"Okay," she said, "are you the guy with the big mouth and the small pecker?"

I guess if your humor-meter is still stuck in the sixth grade and you spend your time at church trying to look up women's dresses, you might find Mirth Missives your "cup of tea," suitable for any private "men's organization."

But these men are Freemasons. These are the "pillars of the community." Many of these men are present or past "illustrious potentates" and 33rd degree poobahs. The publisher of Mirth Missives wears a 33rd degree white hat.

These are men I once told my son to seek out if he was ever in trouble. These are men I once assumed I could trust to behave themselves around my wife.

"Oh, W.S. It's just a small minority, a few horny old men. They're harmless. It's all in good, clean fun. Masons are all good, decent family men dedicated to the good of the community and 'making good men better.' It's just an isolated event."

I've seen the distribution list of Mirth Missives. I was very surprised at some of the names on the list. I immediately recognized at least one as a Past Grand Master, and I'm sure there are others of such "high rank." All the names on the list, I would assume, are now, or once were, active officers in their blue lodges. These are the "leaders" who instructed new candidates in rituals and lectures regarding "morality" and "keeping passions within due bounds."

Personally — again, as a libertarian — I don't care what these guys are doing. Yuck it up, boys. Take your Viagra and **** yourselves silly.

I just find it disturbing that you're doing it en masse under the banner of a group associated with Freemasonry.

We're supposed to be better than this.

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Mirth Missives | Freemasonry | Shriners | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Another 'isolated incident'? Retired judge, fellow Jesters under investigation for hiring prostitutes in New York

Updated 3/10/08 to include Congressional Record entry honoring Judge Ron Tills.

Updated 3/10/08 to include Congressman Reynolds' Masonic affiliations

On Thursday, The Burning Taper published an article about, and linked to investigative reporter Sandy Frost's detailed account about, 19 members of the Mason-related Royal Order of Jesters members who have been subpoenaed as witnesses in a federal trial involving underage prostitutes while on a fishing trip to Brazil in 2005.

A comment left by a reader here said, "This has to be an isolated incident."

Sadly, it doesn't appear this kind of activity among the Royal Order of Jesters is an isolated incident.

Synchronistically, on the same day we ran that article two other Jesters, one a retired state judge now serving as a hearings officer, the other his former law clerk, resigned amidst allegations that they, along with a former police captain, took a female massage parlor employee in a motor home to a gathering of members of the Royal Order of Jesters. Transporting a woman across state lines for purposes of prostitution is a violation of the federal Mann Act.

The story ran today on the front page of the Sunday edition of the Buffalo News.

The investigation is part of a probe into Buffalo-area massage parlors linked to prostitution.

Both retired Judge Ronald H. Tills and law clerk Michael Stebick tendered their resignations on Thursday.

Stebick's attorney Andrew C. LoTempio told the Buffalo News, "[Stebick] resigned from his job to save his family and the court system from embarrassment."

Tills had also served as a state assemblyman.

Stebick is a former criminal prosecutor with the Erie County district attorney’s office.

Six witnesses familiar with the investigation said Stebick, the owner of the motor home used on the trip, Tills and retired Lockport, NY Police Capt. John Trowbridge went on the road trip along with as many as nine other Jesters and the woman from the massage parlor. Investigators did not say to where they traveled, other than it was outside New York, or when it occurred, other than it was over a year ago.

The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol have been investigating the local Jesters Buffalo Court No. 22, of which the three are members.

As if to further drive home the fact that this isn't an isolated incident, the Buffalo Times, speaking of a Feb. 1990 federal case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin said:

According to the [Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal] newspaper’s account, a woman admitted to a federal judge that she ran an interstate prostitution business and was hired to provide prostitutes for Jesters conventions in New Orleans, Houston, Chicago and other locations, including some in other countries.

The newspaper reported that the woman, speaking at her sentencing, told the judge that "well-to-do businessmen, mayors and aldermen" were among the Jesters' members, and that uniformed police officers sometimes provided security at the events.

Alex Rogers, business manager at the Jesters' Indianapolis headquarters, said, "Our purpose is to spread the gospel of mirth and merriment.... We certainly don't stand for any of that stuff.... Most of our work is charitable in nature, and that's why I just can't believe the nature of this investigation."

The Jesters try to take the "highest caliber Shriners we can get" who distinguish themselves in the community, Rogers said.

"We try to keep the cream of the crop," he said.

When reporters Dan Herbeck and Aaron Besecker of the Buffalo News phoned local Jesters Court No. 22 secretary James Kirst, he hung up the phone when asked about the investigation.

Updated: Monday, March 10, 2008 — The following statement by Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (R-NY) was read in the House of Representatives and published in the Congressional Record on Dec. 8, 2005:

TRIBUTE TO JUDGE RONALD H. TILLS

HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS OF NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, December 8, 2005

Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to honor a respected jurist, a dedicated public servant, a valued mentor and a trusted friend upon the occasion of his retirement from the New York State Court of Claims.

A native of Hamburg, New York, and a veteran of the United States Army Reserves, Judge Ronald H. Tills began a career in public service that spanned five decades when he joined the Zoning Board of Appeals in 1960. An Assistant Town Attorney and Town Justice, Ron Tills was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1968, where he served his community and his State with distinction, becoming Chairman of the Assembly's Select Committee for Revision of Corporation Law.

It was in his capacity as Member of the State Assembly that Judge Ron Tills took a chance on a young college student with little political experience to help run his re-election campaign in 1972. Joining his Assembly staff following that election, my own career in government and public service was launched, and I will be forever grateful for Ron's guidance, counsel and friendship.

Judge Tills' service to his community culminated when he was nominated by Governor George E. Pataki, and confirmed by the New York State Senate, to the New York State Court of Claims in July of 1995, where he has served as a Court of Claim Judge and Acting Supreme Court Justice for the past decade.

Mr. Speaker, Ron Tills involvement in a variety of civic and community organizations, and the awards and recognitions he has received over the years are too numerous to list. Whether it was the Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Volunteer Fire Company, or so many others, Ron Tills involved himself as he did in each endeavor throughout his life and career, with passion, leadership, and commitment.

One of his great loves is the largest and oldest fraternal organization in the world. As a Mason, Ron Tills has held numerous responsibilities within the Masons and the organizations within it, including Proctor of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, Potentate of the Ismalia Shrine Temple, Director and President of the Shrine Oasis and Director of the Buffalo Court 22 of Jesters.

In addition to the Masons, gardening and travel, Ron Tills' greatest love of all is the former Elizabeth Clarkson. Ron and Betty were married on May 6, 1960, and are parents of Thomas and Suzanne and grandparents of Dale Jr. and Diane Goodridge, and Timothy and Abigail Tills.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of and in gratitude for his service, leadership and patriotism, I ask that this Honorable Body join me in honoring Judge Ronald H. Tills upon the occasion of his retirement, and wish him great health and happiness in the days and years ahead.

Congressman Tom Reynolds is a member of Springville Lodge in New York and Ismailia Temple (of Buffalo, NY) of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (the Shriners), according to Congressional SourceWatch and Project VoteSmart. Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds should not be confused with M.W. Thomas E. Reynolds, Past Grand Master of Ohio.

Image 1: Retired New York State Supreme Justice Ronald H. Tills

Image 2: T-shirt design available at the Jester Phun Store

Ronald Tills | Michael Stebick | John Trowbridge |Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Prostitution | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Masonic 'Jesters' to testify about illegal drugs, child prostitution?

"Even the incessant negativity of Ms. Frost is valuable, because it gets people looking at Freemasonry, and when they see that we are not the demons she paints us, they may decide to join, or at least not to carry the naysayers' water for them." — Bro. Theron Dunn, March 3, 2008

About an hour ago, investigative reporter Sandy Frost posted to her website an article reporting that 19 Masonic members of the Royal Order of Jesters will be called as witnesses in a federal case involving "their first hand knowledge of prostitution, minor prostitution, use of illegal drugs and/or entry into Indian reservations by [Richard] Schair (plaintiff) and/or his customers."

The libel/slander complaint was filed on May 11, 2007 by Richard W. Schair and Wet-A-Line Tours, L.L.C., plaintiffs, who allege that they were libeled and slandered by Amazon Tours, Inc., defendant, owned by Philip Marstellar, President.

As the case gears up for trial, defendant Marsteller maintains that his statements he and his company made about the plaintiff are true. He answered the complaint by stating that his business did not make false statements against Schair, that Schair is not entitled to any relief due to the "doctrine of unclean hands," and demanded a jury trial.

The Jesters allegedly traveled to Brazil for a fishing expedition. The court documents show that each of the 19 Jesters "was a customer of the Plaintiffs who fished with the Plaintiffs in Brazil during approximately late August/September 2007. Based on the Wet-A-Line Tours, L.L.C. website, he [each of the Jester witnesses] is believed to be a member of the Royal Order of Jesters as were all other participants on this trip. He is expected to testify that there were twenty Jesters who paid for their trip and that he was one of the nineteen that ultimately participated. He is expected to testify that two boats were supplied by Plaintiffs, one for the Jesters and one for twenty or so girls who accompanied the Jesters. He is expected to testify that the 'activities' of the Jesters that week and the nature and extent of services provided by and/or arranged by Plaintiffs or Plaintiffs' representatives. He is also expected to authenticate the many hours of videotape and still photographs taken by Defendants of the Jesters' 'activities' during the 'fishing' trip. He is expected to identify by way of photographs and association the members of the Jesters group, the identity by name or by description of the girls aboard, the ages of the girls aboard and the exact nature of the activities viewable in the video tape."

Five female witnesses, ages 13-16 at the time, are listed only as "Jane Doe", and are expected to testify that they "ha[ve] personal knowledge of prostitution, minor prostitution, use of illegal drugs, and/or entry into Indian reservations by Schair and/or his customers."

Read Sandy's article, and follow the links there to photos of the fishing trip, to the federal complaint, to the complete witness list, and more.

Image 1: Photo taken by Jester and federal witness Don Anderson of a dancer at the Boi Bumba Show at the Tropical Hotel, first posted on the Wet-A-Line Tours photo gallery

Image 2: T-shirt design available at the Jester Phun Store

Previous stories on The Burning Taper about the Royal Order of Jesters:

• Billiken, God of things as they ought to be
• Royal Order of Jesters 'exposed' by investigative reporter Sandy Frost

Masons | Royal Order of Jesters | Brazilian Fishing Expedition | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Billiken, the God of things as they ought to be

[Click on the Billiken graphic to see him "blink."]

A few days ago I linked to investigative reporter Sandy Frost's article about the Royal Order of Jesters. In her article, she mentioned the icon/mascot of the Jesters, a strange little naked Buddha-like happy fellow named Billiken.

She said that there was an online animated version that "appears to have his, uh, thingy popping up and down as he blinks."

I tracked down the animation, and, yup, I think it looks like a big red head of a penis popping up and down.

Or maybe it's his navel glowing, as someone wrote in the comments section to my earlier article.

Nah, it's his pecker. Why would an icon of FUN have a glowing navel? I've contemplated my navel several times, but I'd never say that it was fun. There's nothing physically or symbolically fun or "mirthful" in a navel.

What say you? Penis or navel?



The original Billiken doesn't seem to have had either a navel or a pecker, though both appear to have been included in later designs. A 1908 patent was issued to Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher and illustrator who patented her "design for an image," but not the name "Billiken." The Billiken Company of Chicago manufactured the character as a coin bank, a statuette, and a doll. It was one of the first of many dolls that for a few years in the early 20th century became very trendy and fashionable. The Billiken was "all the rage" for about six months in 1910-1911.

The Billiken was known as the "God of things as they ought to be," which author, historian and anthropologist Dorothy Jean Ray believes is a variation on a line from poet and Freemason Bro. Rudyard Kipling's L'Envoi: "Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They Are!" She wrote about the Billiken in a 1960 article in Alaska Sportsman. The Billiken had become a popular item in Alaska after someone had given a store-bought version to a local ivory carver named Angokwaghuk, whose nickname was "Happy Jack." To this day, Eskimo ivory carvers produce many Billikens, all following the Happy Jack pattern, which itself remained nearly identical to the original Pretz/Billiken Co. design.

In 1911 or 1912, Coach John Bender unofficially adopted Billiken as the mascot of the St. Louis University football team. Several versions of the story exist.

It was also in 1911 (February 20th — oddly, today's date) that the original meeting of the Royal Order of Jesters occurred, during a San Francisco-to-Honolulu Shriner cruise aboard the S.S. Wilhelmina. The meeting was led by Shriner Noble A. M. Ellison of San Francisco along with 13 original members. The group was "officially" formed in 1917.

Those more conspiratorial-minded than I can contemplate whether the God of Mirth inspired this meeting, or if perhaps the Shriners themselves were behind the popularity of the Billiken doll at the time.

Variations of Billiken spread to Japan and other parts of the world, and over time the word itself seems to have been appropriated to mean any carved doll-like character under a foot tall, or so a quick look at eBay indicates.

It's probably safe to assume that the navel-or-pecker animated Billiken shown above was created fairly recently, since animated GIF's weren't available before 1989 (and I doubt too many Jesters were computer geeks in 1989, nor were there too many webpages to put animations for many more years), which to me gives further reason to suspect it's indeed his pecker and not his navel that lights up. (Imagine yourself as an animator, probably a teen or in his early 20's... would you think it fun to make a non-existent navel blink, or to create a pop-up penis? I mean, there's a pop-up penis in The Little Mermaid, isn't there?)

Not that people didn't contemplate their peckers in times past. The undated photo montage shown at left of a Jesters' Billiken paperweight, especially the second and third photos, certainly look like little Billy is playing with his Billiken to me.

Or is he just holding his gut while having a mirth-filled belly laugh?

Masons | Masonic Clubs | Shriners | Freemasonry | Royal Order of Jesters | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Royal Order of Jesters 'exposed' by investigative reporter Sandy Frost

Investigative reporter Sandy Frost published last night "Jesters Exposed," a look behind the scenes at the Royal Order of Jesters, a Shrine-related subculture of Freemasonry whose motto is "Mirth is King."

It sounds like they have a great time. We should have all been invited to join this Masonic party club. As Sandy writes, "Not that messing around, holding oral sex competitions, getting snot-slinging drunk and gambling your butt off is a bad thing, but to allegedly do so as a nonprofit group?"

Websites of the Jesters are few and far between. Here's a little bit of info I found on the group, from the Phoenix Masonry website:

Jesters, usually so-called, but more formally named the Royal Order of Jesters, is an organization evolved out of the good fellowship of members of the Mystic Shrine during a voyage to Honolulu, February 15 to March 7, 1911. An offhand ceremony grew into a ritual, and to local Courts and a National Body, very much of its success due to the initiative of William S. Brown, many years the Treasurer of the Mystic Shrine; Lou B. Winsor, Past Imperial Potentate and Grand Secretary of Michigan, and others of their genial kind who organized and led the Body whose local units were limited to thirteen initiates yearly. Initiation, by invitation, and unanimous ballot, limited to members in good standing of the Mystic Shrine. The slogan "Mirth is King," expounded by Jester Brown, and the poem by Edmund Rowland Sill, "The Fool's Prayer," recited by Jester Winsor, have furnished inspiration. Officers, thirteen, bear the titles: Director, Tragedian, Property Man, Impressario, Treasurer, Soubrette, Light Comedian, Serio Comic, Heavy Man, Leading Lady, Judge, High Constable, Stage Manager; the national officer's titles are the same but preceded by the word Royal.

Also from the same site, we find the "Jester's Creed."

Laugh and the glad world laughs with you;
Weep and the sad world will sigh!
Mirth is our life's true elixir;
It shows you're a "regular guy."

There's nothing that so banishes worry,
Nor puts such a big crimp in sin;
Nor smooths out the wrinkles of trouble,
Like a jolly old Jester-mans grin!

It rolls off the years from your shoulders;
You'll forget that you've grown to be men!
Your youth turns once more to embrace you;
For you've grown to be school boys again!

So, if you've got grouches, don't bring 'em;
Its your laugh and your joke that we need;
For mirth is the doctor of trouble,
And Laughter, the Jester-man's Creed!

Masons | Masonic Parties | Royal Order of Jesters | Freemasonry | Sandy Frost | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com