Posted: 3/8/2012 6:37:43 PM EDT
| It is always very disappointing when someone gets blackballed that you really wanted to make it. There isn't anything to be done about it but I always feel bad about it. |
| This last one was made doubly bad by the fact the young man's father was present for the vote. With the GL of TX rules, he will be barred for three years from reapplying at any lodge in TX. There is nothing to be done about it. It is just one of those things that you wish went differently. |
| I saw one fellow get blackballed, his 1st line signer went to the DDGM and requested he over rule the issue and conduct a new vote the next month. The DDGM showed up at the next months vote as per our PA rules allow and the guy who blackballed him never came back to vote that next month. I guess if you dont follow up with your actions, then you dont get what you want. |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile That's just wrong. How many good men never came back? |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile That's just wrong. How many good men never came back? That is what I am wondering? |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile That's just wrong. How many good men never came back? That is what I am wondering? Several. I found this out a few years back when a friend of my fathers was working a job in the area for a couple of months. He said he was interested in the Lodge and tried to join back around 1987 when he was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Petitioned and was blackballed. He had a friend that signed for him, but nobody had a reason that he knew of to black ball him. Knowing how rare blackballs were, I asked an older member of that Lodge if he knew anything about it. I was quite upset at the response. Blackballing for cause is one thing, but to just deny someone to see how "dedicated" they are is un-Masonic if you ask me. |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile That's just wrong. How many good men never came back? That is what I am wondering? Several. I found this out a few years back when a friend of my fathers was working a job in the area for a couple of months. He said he was interested in the Lodge and tried to join back around 1987 when he was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Petitioned and was blackballed. He had a friend that signed for him, but nobody had a reason that he knew of to black ball him. Knowing how rare blackballs were, I asked an older member of that Lodge if he knew anything about it. I was quite upset at the response. Blackballing for cause is one thing, but to just deny someone to see how "dedicated" they are is un-Masonic if you ask me. Agreed, certainly doesn't fit with the admonishment to vote for the good of Masonry. |
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Been a Freemason for 12 years and never seen a foul ballot In the last year at my lodge at least 1/3 of all new petitioners have been blackballed. There was a time around here where they would all get blackballed the first time. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile That's just wrong. How many good men never came back? That is what I am wondering? Several. I found this out a few years back when a friend of my fathers was working a job in the area for a couple of months. He said he was interested in the Lodge and tried to join back around 1987 when he was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Petitioned and was blackballed. He had a friend that signed for him, but nobody had a reason that he knew of to black ball him. Knowing how rare blackballs were, I asked an older member of that Lodge if he knew anything about it. I was quite upset at the response. Blackballing for cause is one thing, but to just deny someone to see how "dedicated" they are is un-Masonic if you ask me. That is messed up. So people are actually blackballing petitioners just to see if they will come back? In my lodge, I have only seen one person blackballed, and that was because he had a couple of felonies. |
| i have seen a couple here. i can honestly say those that were deserved it. they had friends that recommended them and in each case we found something they never knew about their character. i think what really sucks is being on a committee and not being allowed to explain "why" i gave an unfavorable investigation. ours are pass fail only and we are not supposed to tell anyone why. i had one guy that had multiple bankruptcies, spent time in a mental hospital for depression, frivolous lawsuit against his employer and outright lied to me during the investigation. i caught hell from his cousin in the lodge because i turned in an unfavourable report. still hearing reports of him bad mouthing me at the shrine etc. this is why it is so important we do proper investigations. |
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly"  We have a similar rule. If there is only one black ball, there is a second vote. More than one does not require a re-vote. |
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly" We have a similar rule. If there is only one black ball, there is a second vote. More than one does not require a re-vote. This goes for us also |
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly" We have a similar rule. If there is only one black ball, there is a second vote. More than one does not require a re-vote. same for us. oddly the only times i have seen a bb dropped we almost ran out of them. |
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly" We have a similar rule. If there is only one black ball, there is a second vote. More than one does not require a re-vote. same for us. oddly the only times i have seen a bb dropped we almost ran out of them. yep, the last person to get BB'ed during a vote at my home lodge, clogged the hole.
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly" In MD, we can reballot up to 3 additional times. It is not necessary. Also, if I cannot ake it to Lodge, I can call the WM and he is obligated to cast a foul ballot. I will say, however, that I did once make the wrong vote. I concentrated too hard on not grabbing a black cube......that I grabbed a black cube 
I just stepped back, appologized to the WM and asked to have the ballot box cleared for a reballot. I felt like an idiot. |
now I know where the SW gets it from.
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If someone is BB during a vote for petition we usually do an immediate re-casting of the votes. When I asked why, here's the response I received,"someone may have gotten confused & voted improperly" In MD, we can reballot up to 3 additional times. It is not necessary. Also, if I cannot ake it to Lodge, I can call the WM and he is obligated to cast a foul ballot. I will say, however, that I did once make the wrong vote. I concentrated too hard on not grabbing a black cube......that I grabbed a black cube
I just stepped back, appologized to the WM and asked to have the ballot box cleared for a reballot. I felt like an idiot. The Worshipful Master is not obligated to cast a Black Cube or foul ballot. I have never seen this in the Book of Constitutions. Respectfully, WM of Medairy #140 Williamsport MD |
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Blackballing for cause is one thing, but to just deny someone to see how "dedicated" they are is un-Masonic if you ask me.
+1 I guess we have to walk that fine line between damaging our own growth or damaging the quality of the fraternity. The PGM in Texas made it perfectly clear that we would rather have a few good men that a larger organization with too many bad eggs. I agree with that, but don't agree with summarily blackballing a possible candidate jut because it's his first vote. |