Monday Political Updates

Most Powerful Man in the U.S. Steps Down
Senator Robert Byrd (aged 91 on Nov 20, 2008) stepped down as Chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and will hand the gavel to 84-year old Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii (what, we couldn’t find a septuagenarian?) Byrd has been a continuous member of the Senate since 1959 – and a member of this most important Senate Committee (handing out nearly $1 Trillion a year!) for 50-years. He will remain a member of the Appropriations Committee. His current Senate Term will expire in 2012.

I’ve said many times that the Presidency is over-rated in terms of raw political power, and the real power is in the combined hands of our Legislators. If that is truly the case, then Senator Byrd has long been the most powerful man in the US. (And if you don’t believe me, just look at what his chairmanship has meant to West Virginia!)

Perhaps less well known, Senator Byrd is a Mason – a Famous Mason! He was also perhaps most responsible for starting my dear friend, Masonic brother and mentor, Robert Wolfarth, on his Masonic journey. Robert used to work on Capitol Hill and was influenced to look in to our Honorable Fraternity when he heard Byrd and other Senators and Masons speak glowingly of their ties to the Fraternity.

We haven’t had a Masonic US President since President Ford, but Senator Byrd and others (Sam Nunn, Jack Kemp, John Glenn, Charles Grassley, Mark Hatfield – to name a few) have continued the time-honored tradition of Masonic Service to our Nation.

Wasatch Lodge No. 1 Election Results
On Friday, November 7, 2008, Wasatch Lodge No 1 of Salt Lake City, Utah, held elections for the principal officers of the Lodge for the year 2009. Leon Crockett, a Salt Lake Attorney, was elected Worshipful Master of Wasatch Lodge to replace Worshipful Brother Jason Mitchell, who has served the Lodge admirably for the last year. Leon is a well-respected member of the Utah Bar, has argued several times before the Utah Supreme Court, a Shrine Clown - and a effective fundraiser for the Shrine Hospital and other laudable charities. He is also one of the kindest men I know.

For those unfamiliar with Masonic doings, a man becomes a “Worshipful Brother” rather than a “Brother” when he is elected Worshipful Master, or Master of his Lodge. This is also sometimes referred to as being “elected to the East,” because the Lodge Master sits in the East of a Lodge. Unlike other organizations, Masons do not run for office. Master Masons in good standing vote, and a simple majority is required for an “election.”

Thirty-seven of the Master Masons of Wasatch Lodge were in attendance at the Friday Elections, along with several Masonic visitors (including four Grand Lodge Officers), and several of the Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts of Wasatch Lodge.

Douglas Backes, an Engineer at ATK, was elected Senior Warden, and Branden Sylvester, Owner of SilverStar Services, was elected Junior Warden. All are what we refer to as “upright men and Masons,” (truly good and moral men!) Taken together, these three principal officers – Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, are the equivalent of the President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents of any other organization or fraternity. During Lodge meetings they sit in the East, West and South of the Lodge and govern the Lodge.

Jason Varner announced that he had no desire to be re-elected to the office of Lodge Secretary, and was replaced by newcomer Michael Anderson who has been serving as Assistant Secretary. Worshipful Brother Varner was recently appointed to an office in the Grand Lodge of Utah.

Jason was one of the first members of Wasatch Lodge I ever met, has been a stalwart and a stabilizing force in the Lodge for years, and is as dedicated a Mason as ever there was. He will be sorely missed – although Michael will do a fine job.

Like Brother Varner, Worshipful Brother Jason Allred also announced that he had no desire to be elected to another term as Treasurer and was replaced by the election of Worshipful Brother Scott Anderson.

There is little I enjoy as much as being with my Masonic Brothers, and whether it is a meeting to transact business or ritual, the Quarterly Communications (dinner and a lecture), or the Book of the Month Club “dinners” at The Other Place Restaurant, I always feel like I am warmly surrounded and truly accepted by some of the finest men in the Valley.