Friday, September 29, 2006
The dust continues to settle. Many unsolicited emails and telephone calls from persons known to us as credible sources as well as from lots of folks with whom we are entirely unfamiliar have been received since we were fired, before finishing our show, this past Monday, September 25th.
Most of the messages have an eerily similar and now, all too familiar ring. The Grand Masonic Lodge of Alabama “gotcha fired.” It’s alright, scratch your head ? As far-fetched as it might sound on the surface, the more one learns about the Masons of the Alabama Grand Lodge the more plausible the allegations. Actually, we’ve known they were at the heart of this from the get-go.
For nearly 20 years on the air, we’ve ALWAYS been controversial. We’re known for it. But, we earned that reputation. We never set out to be outrageous for the sake of ratings or simply to be outrageous. That was never it. We are ‘children of the 60s’ and for the good or for the ill, we never bought into the political survival mantra “to get along, go along.” Why? Like most other people, of all political stripes and ideologies, we have a rather accurate sense of that which is right and that which is wrong. To our detriment, it appears, this time our inability to keep our mouths shut when we know – with certainty – that something is wrong, very very wrong … has gotten us fired, in a chilling move to silence us and to keep the ugly truth away from others who can easily discern the difference between right and wrong.
This is not rocket science: Bob Riley is the Governor of Alabama. Bob Riley is running for re-election. The President of the United States came to Birmingham, yesterday, September 28th, to help raise more money for Riley’s re-election campaign.
However, that which the mainstream media fails to address or conveniently chooses to ignore is that Bob Riley is a Mason; a member of some rather majestic sounding group known as the Grand Lodge of Alabama. So far so good. No big deal. Lots of well-known people are Masons. But, when we learned and then exposed on our former morning drive radio talk show that Governor Bob Riley’s Grand Masonic Lodge discriminates against African Americans, by formal resolution … that they will not allow a black man to become a member … we knew that his affiliation –because he is the governor and wants to be the governor for four more years – was and is 100% wrong.
I sent the information and proof to the editorial page editor of Alabama’s largest newspaper. I sent it to their syndicated editorial cartoonist. Silence. I sent the information to the state’s most highly-regarded television news anchor (a personal friend of more than 20 years). Nothing from him except a note (after several more emails from me asking if he got my original information) that suggested “we need to go to dinner sometime and talk …” and “don’t forget to give my regards to Dee.” Finally, I emailed the newspaper guy and after overcoming his artful dodging, I finally got him to admit to me (in writing) that the fact the Governor of Alabama was a highly-regarded member of a fraternity that discriminates against people on the basis of their race bothered him as well as it bothered me. Shallow victory, because he has remained silent.
Anyway, the bottom line is that in Alabama, The Bad Guys won. The governor’s office declined to comment after 1 brave reporter from a local weekly newspaper confronted them with the allegation. They continue to dodge the question, but their silence is deafening.
You can connect the dots or you can ignore them. Doesn’t matter and it doesn’t alter the truth: The Governor of Alabama who is campaigning for re-election – who is asking all Alabamians for the privilege of representing and leading them – belongs to an organization that is racist. If an organization will not admit to membership a person because of their skin color and ethnicity, they are by definition, a racist organization. Doesn’t matter if they run hospitals and do charitable acts. So does Hezbollah. Doesn’t make ‘em good guys. It’s a very clever cover.
There is only one conclusion that can be drawn: The Grand Masonic Lodge of Alabama is racist. The Governor is a member. Is the Governor a racist ? You decide. He hasn’t resigned. Oh, and by the way, I’m worried about the President (for whom we voted twice and to whose re-election we contributed more money than we could afford). Could President Bush have possibly have known this about ‘Brother Riley’ before he came to Birmingham? Of course he knew. Now, assuming the President knew … and you know his advance people were made aware of the information on our site, you have to wonder why Riley hasn’t resigned from the Grand Lodge? And you have to wonder, why the President didn’t change his travel plans … or at least tell him to get out of the Grand Lodge or he wasn’t coming to Birmingham.
Like I said: It’s not rocket science … but it is a shameful disgrace. All Alabamians and most of all, all Masons should be very ashamed. I am.
Russ Fine
A Disillusioned, Recovering Republican
