Page Title "Halcyon Hogwash" http://www.masonicinfo.com/halcyonhogwash.htm
A PDF copy of King's page as evidence.
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| Ed King grinding up young Masons |
FACTS: There never was a "Pied Piper". Halcyon Lodge broke away from the Grand Lodge of Ohio because they tried to take our property. Mr. King uses Bro. Peace as a boogeyman and defames his person and character every chance he gets.
King says: "Sadly, it's also (at least to this observer and many others) a tale of lies, deceit, unrealistic expectations merged with idealism, egotism, and hope."
FACTS: The Cuyahoga County Courts found that Halcyon Lodge was truthful and honest in all their dealings with the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
King says: "It was - from our perspective, the story of big plans, some readily available cash, and a group of impetuous 20 to nearly-40 year olds who never learned the Masonic lessons of temperance and justice pitted against "a bunch of 'old fogies'" who were seen to be standing in the way of great plans and dreams."
FACTS: King uses "from our perspective" to avoid being sued for defamation and slander. Some of the brothers present when Halcyon Lodge left the Grand Lodge of Ohio were in their 50's and 60's. They voted to leave was unanimous. We learned from our parents, not Freemasonry, that it is wrong to steal what belongs to others, or to allow others to do the same.
King says: "From one angle, it was high-minded ideals battling against the atrophy and stupidity which had allowed a cherished monument to decay - but the rest of the Masonic world didn't seem to see it that way, particularly with the already tainted activities of the person who came to be their spiritual mentor."
FACTS: King again tries to introduce the boogeyman into his rant. Only one person at Halcyon Lodge actually knew Bro. Peace at the time, and a few others had met him once. He was not our spiritual leader nor did he ever say anything that caused us to leave the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
King says: "It all began with a fabrication. Halcyon Lodge BLAZED (and that's no exaggeration!) onto the Masonic Internet scene with their announcement that the founder of the then-embryonic United Grand Lodge of America would be coming to Cleveland (Ohio, USA) to present a program in which remarkable new material related to the history of Freemasonry would be revealed. Like everything else concerning that organization, its predecessors and its successors, this was soon shown to be pure hype/tripe. Reading between the lines subsequently, it would appear that the presentation was probably little more than ONE (a little-used one) of the theories conjectured over the years and presented by the speaker's darling, author Margaret C. Jacob
."
FACTS: I was at the presentation, which lasted about two hours. Margaret Jacob was never mentioned. It covered the history of Freemasonry from 1680 through 1850. Margaret Jacob only deals with Enlightenment era history.
FACTS: King again tries to introduce the boogeyman into his rant. Only one person at Halcyon Lodge actually knew Bro. Peace at the time, and a few others had met him once. He was not our spiritual leader nor did he ever say anything that caused us to leave the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
King says: "It all began with a fabrication. Halcyon Lodge BLAZED (and that's no exaggeration!) onto the Masonic Internet scene with their announcement that the founder of the then-embryonic United Grand Lodge of America would be coming to Cleveland (Ohio, USA) to present a program in which remarkable new material related to the history of Freemasonry would be revealed. Like everything else concerning that organization, its predecessors and its successors, this was soon shown to be pure hype/tripe. Reading between the lines subsequently, it would appear that the presentation was probably little more than ONE (a little-used one) of the theories conjectured over the years and presented by the speaker's darling, author Margaret C. Jacob
."FACTS: I was at the presentation, which lasted about two hours. Margaret Jacob was never mentioned. It covered the history of Freemasonry from 1680 through 1850. Margaret Jacob only deals with Enlightenment era history.
King says: "When Mr. Peace "quit Freemasonry" (one of the couple of times....), a fawning Toronto gadfly (generally ignored for his pomposity by the rest of the Masonic online world) wrote "Jeff Peace has been described as one of the brightest living masonic scholars." In truth, NO ONE who is recognized as a Masonic scholar, researcher or educator has ever made such a preposterous and exaggerated claim."
FACTS: Peace is a university educated and trained historian, and his papers have broke new ground in Masonic research, especially the early history of Freemasonry in England and the Netherlands.
Kings says: "Jeff apparently had such a good time with those at Halcyon who were in the process of fermenting revolution within the moribund lodge that his message of 'join with me' resonated and next we heard, they were about to make Jeff - who had by then been expelled by regular/recognized Freemasonry in Georgia - an Honorary Member of their lodge, asserting that the Code of the Grand Lodge of Ohio permitted such actions."
FACTS: Another character assassination attack against Bro. Peace. Ed isn't being honest when he claims "who had by then been expelled by regular/recognized Freemasonry in Georgia ". Peace was never expelled or provided with any form of due process by the Grand Lodge of Georgia. They simply said he had been "erased" in a letter they sent to him. No Masonic charges were ever filed in any lodge against Bro. Peace. This is similar to what happened to Bro. Frank Haas in West Virginia. Your Grand Lodge simply says your expelled and you are left with no recourse.
Kings says: "Questions raised by regular/recognized Freemasons (re: Halcyon leaving the GLO) online were met with various degrees of avoidance or belligerence and while many sought to fully understand things in which they were not involved and had no specific stake, the heat increased.
FACTS: Mr. King and other supposed Masons attempted the same character assassination tactics they use against Bro. Peace against Halcyon and its members. There was no attempt by them "to fully understand things," instead they claimed that we were criminals and should be arrested. Ironically, the only one that faced criminal charges was on the side of the Grand Lodge. Further, we could not discuss the details of the lawsuit because we were advised by counsel not to. This was not "obfuscation" or "avoidance" but following the advice of our legal counsel.
Kings says: "The bitterness began to grow, fueled by pseudonym-postings..."
FACTS: Looking back at many of these postings Halcyon and Bro. Peace posted under their real names, whereas Mr. King's associates used a variety of aliases to hide their identity as they took pot shots at the members of Halcyon. (Cowards!)
King says: "Breaking away from a Grand Lodge had happened hundreds of times in the past: many never realized that - and most never expected such a thing would happen with a lodge under the aegis of the staid and stable Grand Lodge of Ohio."
FACTS: Obfuscation of the facts. His statement is purposefully unclear and misleading. By introducing Prince Hall into his rant he creates a way where he can play down the importance of what Halcyon had done. "Breaking away from a Grand Lodge had happened hundreds of times" is only true in Prince Hall. When Halcyon broke away it established a legal precedent that all lodges were sovereign entities that formed an association termed "Grand Lodge," and that all were free to leave said association taking their assets with them.
King says: "The charity fund of the lodge was taken by the defectors and they began the hard work of renovating a building that was suffering from decades of neglect according to all reports."
FACTS: There wasn't a "charity fund". Halcyon Lodge created Halcyon Charities, a legal 505(c)(3) charity while still under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and the courts found that Halcyon followed all the rules of the Grand Lodge of Ohio while doing so. The charity is registered with both the IRS and the State of Ohio.
Kings says: "The Grand Lodge surely must have thought that their 'proprietary' ownership of lodges would have caused this aberration to be quickly ended but the actual paper on which the court would decide matters was created in a time long ago and far removed from the present situation. Who would have, in 1875, thought that a group would even consider 'taking ownership' of a lodge?"
FACTS: Its hogwash alright! The Westside Masonic Temple Association wasn't created in 1875. It was first created in 1905 but didn't really take its present form until 1930. It issued shares of stock which were purchased, not only by lodges and Masonic organizations, but by the public. It was setup so that anyone who had the funds could eventually acquire all the stock. Halcyon Lodge owned all of the stock through a previous legal battle with the Grand Lodge of Ohio where it was discovered that Halcyon was owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Halcyon defeated the Grand Lodge of Ohio in the lawsuit of 2008 with a summary judgement being handed down from the judge. The judgement is based on simple real estate law. We owned the real property and the court could not award said property to another entity that had no financial stake in said property.
King says: "Slogging through court proceedings for more than a year seemed to have left everyone at a disadvantage."
FACTS: It didn't even slow Halcyon down. We continued to renovate the building and enhance the charity as is evident today.
King says: "Living off of the history of a Masonic lodge founded in the late 1800's, the current 'owners' of this organization consistently pretend that they and their predecessors are one and the same. Simply put, they're NOT. It's a bald-faced lie to claim that they are! The original lodge was under the Grand Lodge of Ohio. This group belongs to an entirely different organization which has no connection with (not now nor ever) that Grand Lodge. While the current handful of members which remain joined when the lodge was under that jurisdiction, they severed all ties with them and even engaged in a lawsuit to separate themselves."
"That they now wrap themselves in the history of the lodge they destroyed is, at best, shameful."
"If you think this is the Masonic lodge that's been around since the 1870s, you're flat out WRONG!"
FACTS: Halcyon Lodge No. 498 was and is the same registered corporation with both the IRS and state of Ohio that it was prior to the lawsuit. Halcyon Lodge No. 498 has retained its tax and business status. Proof of this can be found in the lawsuit. The new Halcyon Lodge created by the Grand Lodge of Ohio was not recognized as having a complaint in the case, nor were they award our tax ID or business registration. The Grand Lodge of Ohio was forced to close their newly created and bogus Halcyon Lodge. Halcyon Lodge No. 498 is the exact same entity that has existed since 1875, and both legally and morally has a right to claim everything associated with said entity.
Kings says: "ASK THEM: how many of your members are currently serving and/or veterans of the Armed Forces? You'll find, we suspect, only one: the Grand Master du jour - but NONE of those in Cleveland! So what would you call this type of tripe? Pandering? Perhaps...."
FACTS: This was the most bizarre of any of Kings rants. What this has to do with Freemasonry is unclear. But, he's wrong (lying?) again. Wor. Bro. Chris Snow, US Coast Guard; Wor. Bro. Eric Chipps, US Marines; and one Korean war veteran, and another from WWII. These are just the ones I can think of without asking around.
FACTS: Peace is a university educated and trained historian, and his papers have broke new ground in Masonic research, especially the early history of Freemasonry in England and the Netherlands.
Kings says: "Jeff apparently had such a good time with those at Halcyon who were in the process of fermenting revolution within the moribund lodge that his message of 'join with me' resonated and next we heard, they were about to make Jeff - who had by then been expelled by regular/recognized Freemasonry in Georgia - an Honorary Member of their lodge, asserting that the Code of the Grand Lodge of Ohio permitted such actions."
FACTS: Another character assassination attack against Bro. Peace. Ed isn't being honest when he claims "who had by then been expelled by regular/recognized Freemasonry in Georgia ". Peace was never expelled or provided with any form of due process by the Grand Lodge of Georgia. They simply said he had been "erased" in a letter they sent to him. No Masonic charges were ever filed in any lodge against Bro. Peace. This is similar to what happened to Bro. Frank Haas in West Virginia. Your Grand Lodge simply says your expelled and you are left with no recourse.
Kings says: "Questions raised by regular/recognized Freemasons (re: Halcyon leaving the GLO) online were met with various degrees of avoidance or belligerence and while many sought to fully understand things in which they were not involved and had no specific stake, the heat increased.
FACTS: Mr. King and other supposed Masons attempted the same character assassination tactics they use against Bro. Peace against Halcyon and its members. There was no attempt by them "to fully understand things," instead they claimed that we were criminals and should be arrested. Ironically, the only one that faced criminal charges was on the side of the Grand Lodge. Further, we could not discuss the details of the lawsuit because we were advised by counsel not to. This was not "obfuscation" or "avoidance" but following the advice of our legal counsel.
Kings says: "The bitterness began to grow, fueled by pseudonym-postings..."
FACTS: Looking back at many of these postings Halcyon and Bro. Peace posted under their real names, whereas Mr. King's associates used a variety of aliases to hide their identity as they took pot shots at the members of Halcyon. (Cowards!)
King says: "Breaking away from a Grand Lodge had happened hundreds of times in the past: many never realized that - and most never expected such a thing would happen with a lodge under the aegis of the staid and stable Grand Lodge of Ohio."
FACTS: Obfuscation of the facts. His statement is purposefully unclear and misleading. By introducing Prince Hall into his rant he creates a way where he can play down the importance of what Halcyon had done. "Breaking away from a Grand Lodge had happened hundreds of times" is only true in Prince Hall. When Halcyon broke away it established a legal precedent that all lodges were sovereign entities that formed an association termed "Grand Lodge," and that all were free to leave said association taking their assets with them.
King says: "The charity fund of the lodge was taken by the defectors and they began the hard work of renovating a building that was suffering from decades of neglect according to all reports."
FACTS: There wasn't a "charity fund". Halcyon Lodge created Halcyon Charities, a legal 505(c)(3) charity while still under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, and the courts found that Halcyon followed all the rules of the Grand Lodge of Ohio while doing so. The charity is registered with both the IRS and the State of Ohio.
Kings says: "The Grand Lodge surely must have thought that their 'proprietary' ownership of lodges would have caused this aberration to be quickly ended but the actual paper on which the court would decide matters was created in a time long ago and far removed from the present situation. Who would have, in 1875, thought that a group would even consider 'taking ownership' of a lodge?"
FACTS: Its hogwash alright! The Westside Masonic Temple Association wasn't created in 1875. It was first created in 1905 but didn't really take its present form until 1930. It issued shares of stock which were purchased, not only by lodges and Masonic organizations, but by the public. It was setup so that anyone who had the funds could eventually acquire all the stock. Halcyon Lodge owned all of the stock through a previous legal battle with the Grand Lodge of Ohio where it was discovered that Halcyon was owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Halcyon defeated the Grand Lodge of Ohio in the lawsuit of 2008 with a summary judgement being handed down from the judge. The judgement is based on simple real estate law. We owned the real property and the court could not award said property to another entity that had no financial stake in said property.
King says: "Slogging through court proceedings for more than a year seemed to have left everyone at a disadvantage."
FACTS: It didn't even slow Halcyon down. We continued to renovate the building and enhance the charity as is evident today.
King says: "Living off of the history of a Masonic lodge founded in the late 1800's, the current 'owners' of this organization consistently pretend that they and their predecessors are one and the same. Simply put, they're NOT. It's a bald-faced lie to claim that they are! The original lodge was under the Grand Lodge of Ohio. This group belongs to an entirely different organization which has no connection with (not now nor ever) that Grand Lodge. While the current handful of members which remain joined when the lodge was under that jurisdiction, they severed all ties with them and even engaged in a lawsuit to separate themselves."
"That they now wrap themselves in the history of the lodge they destroyed is, at best, shameful."
"If you think this is the Masonic lodge that's been around since the 1870s, you're flat out WRONG!"
FACTS: Halcyon Lodge No. 498 was and is the same registered corporation with both the IRS and state of Ohio that it was prior to the lawsuit. Halcyon Lodge No. 498 has retained its tax and business status. Proof of this can be found in the lawsuit. The new Halcyon Lodge created by the Grand Lodge of Ohio was not recognized as having a complaint in the case, nor were they award our tax ID or business registration. The Grand Lodge of Ohio was forced to close their newly created and bogus Halcyon Lodge. Halcyon Lodge No. 498 is the exact same entity that has existed since 1875, and both legally and morally has a right to claim everything associated with said entity.
Kings says: "ASK THEM: how many of your members are currently serving and/or veterans of the Armed Forces? You'll find, we suspect, only one: the Grand Master du jour - but NONE of those in Cleveland! So what would you call this type of tripe? Pandering? Perhaps...."
FACTS: This was the most bizarre of any of Kings rants. What this has to do with Freemasonry is unclear. But, he's wrong (lying?) again. Wor. Bro. Chris Snow, US Coast Guard; Wor. Bro. Eric Chipps, US Marines; and one Korean war veteran, and another from WWII. These are just the ones I can think of without asking around.
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