For the second year in a row, investigative reporter Sandy Frost and Newsvine.com have been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, this year being awarded second place in the Online Media, Special Report/Enterprise (Original) category for "Shriners Investigation."
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. 
"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
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."
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."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;Masons | Masonic Parties | Royal Order of Jesters | Freemasonry | Sandy Frost | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com
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!
Congratulations to investigative reporter Sandy Frost. For her 15-part investigation into Shriner financial irregularities she was awarded Honorable Mention by the Society of Professional Journalists at their annual Excellence in Journalism awards banquet last Saturday night Bellevue, Washington.
The Masonic blog On The Level posted an article today listing the many good deeds Shrine hospitals do for children with orthopedic, burn care, spinal cord and cleft palate medical needs. The hospitals do an excellent job of caring for kids with extraordinary needs.
Once again, the major media catches up with the Masonic blogosphere.Johnny L. Edwards, former leader of the Oasis Shrine Club in Charlotte, North Carolina told reporters, “Money raised for the hospitals is being used to pay for parties and liquor and trips, and they know it. The way I see it, they’re stealing from crippled children.” Edwards led an inquiry into Shrine funds, and is no longer in a leadership position.
- More than 57 percent of the $32 million the Shriners raised in 2005 through circuses, bingo games, raffles and a variety of sales went to costs of the fraternity, including keeping temple liquor cabinets full and offering expenses-paid trips to Shrine meetings and other events.
- Only 2 percent of the Shrine hospitals’ operating income comes from money raised by Shrine temples and members’ dues. (The bulk is supplied by the hospitals’ $9 billion endowment.)
- A top Shrine official told a meeting of temple treasurers that poor accounting for cash coming into the organization was “an increasingly common problem,” and that more than 30 temples had discovered fraud — like theft of money and inventory, altered bank statements, padded payrolls and fake invoices — amounting to as much as $300,000 and involving members of their “divans,” the five-member boards that govern each temple.
Sandy Frost's investigations into Shrine finances and activities continues with Connecting the Dots: Shriners (Part 13), published today on her website:In what might be a first ever, a Shriner won in a Shrine court of law Saturday morning after being unsuccessfully charged with "conduct unbecoming a Shriner."Read the whole story....
The victorious Shriner had served a year as a temple leader or "Potentate" and had grown suspicious after noting that there were no cash deposits after weekly bingo games at the Decatur Shrine Club. Things grew worse after he reported the alleged crime up the Shrine chain of command three years ago and nothing was done. He was then contacted by a reporter from the New York Times who ran a story on November 7, 2006 entitled "Shriners Seize a Clubhouse in a Dispute Over $119,000."
The NYT story claimed that the Decatur Shrine Club had been seized after a corporate audit revealed that only half the proceeds from a weekly bingo game were sent to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriner "law" states that 100% of the bingo proceeds should have been sent to the charity.
This victory is significant because those subjected to such a "trial" can't remember when, in the past ten years, such a Shrine court decision has been handed down.
A "Probable Cause Committee" had supposedly found enough evidence to try this past Potentate. The trial began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 17, 2007. At about noon, defendant's attorney presented a taped conversation that caused the judge/prosecutor, to declare that "we're trying the wrong man."
After this, an immediate attempt to appease the wrongly accused defendant began. As part of the settlement, the accused's legal fees were paid and in return, he signed a non-disclosure document specifying that he would not, among other things, discuss the case with the media.
"This is the first time in Shrine history, to my knowledge that an accused Shriner ever won in one of our trials" observed Reilly Rogers, who had been subjected to such a trial twelve years ago, back in 1995.
