Just about everything I wanted to pass failed, and failed, passed. Oh well.
In my other two jurisdictions where I'm a permanent member of grand lodge I often found myself on the minority side on votes. Part of subduing our passions is living with and abding by the decisions of the representatives in their votes.
I have never heard of any issues with the GLofTX until recently. Is this kind of thing a common occurrence in TX? I have never been to a GL anywhere (though I am hoping to go to next years communication).
Glossing over discussion of decisions they don't want to touch appears to be common. I have seen it happen in both of my other jurisdictions. With legislation it pushes the item to the next year but it can't by pushed beyond that. With committee reports that have recommendations that need to be voted on it does result in that item never coming up for a vote.
Abbreviating the Fraternal Relations report seemed very strange. I privately inquired of a friend on that committee, and he says they haven't heard anything from the MWPHGLOT since they cancelled that previous meeting.
We have recognition. Anyone from other jurisdictions that have recognition will assume there was cross attendence at each others' sessions and thus events at either become known to both. You'll notice the condunrum in this - Recognition without visitation breaks this expectation. This is yet another reason why visitation needs to be pushed forward on the grassroots level not depending on our leadership to move it forward.
I would comment, not as an excuse, but as a pertinent fact, that a lot of that joking and tapdancing was to kill time while they waited for the count on the ballot for GJW to come in. According to our law, there's a limit to what you can do while the election is still undecided. That said, I think they could have called for some more reports. It is very obvious that we need to find some way to automate our ballot counting. They have machines that can count dollar bills, they ought to have something that could count our ballots. What do they do in other jurisdictions?
The other jurisdictions I know push forward as best they can then back track when results are available.
Illinois moves forward with other agenda items while a paper ballot is being counted the times that has happened when I was in attendence. I have seen it happen on multiple occasions. It is possible when multiple candidates are nominated for Senior Grand Deacon for their to be runoff elections reducing the number of candidates at each attempt. I have only seen one contested Sr Gr D election and in that case the published brother won a majority the first round. But he won a narrow majority so it was clear he needed to change the grand line's direction. During counts I've seen awards, Mason of the year speech, committee reports, reinstatement votes.
California typically votes by punch card not by hand vote for all items. If there are only two choices it never goes to a runoff so there is no delay. The votes are all counted together and announced the next day with exact numbers for, against and invalid. During the three years I attended I did not witness a runoff situation but our paperwork packet did include extra punch cards just in case.
On a side note, I really feel they are trying hard to strip Freemasonry down lately, especially after seeing the results here. If I wanted the Lions Club then thats who I would have joined.
Banning Table Lodge? Agreed. Any attempt to make meaning move apparent has been met with resistance or a ban. It's shameful.
Art 223 lists the candidate's sandal and the officer's jewels and collars, as well as armbands for funerals. If an ermine-lined robe and crown are just clothing, a skull is just a paperweight, candles are jsut light fixtures and the rooster drawn on the wall is just art.
Further, any lodge out there with rough and perfect ashlars need to get rid of them. Those aren't on the list either. And ditch those song-sheets.
I pointed out the ashlars early in the discussion. Out with them! They have just been banned by vote of our own representatives.
Banning CofR without mentioning CofR, that was underhanded enough that I urged a vote against for that reason independent of the surface jusification. It is a tactic that is supposed to be beneath the dignity of a MW GM.
I know it has been a LONG time since I have been on here (work issues) so I may have missed something in the past, but why the ban on a CoR?
CofW adds meaning. The knife and fork folks resist meaning. Argh.