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Autonomy and Rumors
When the Widows Sons were founded, on February 18, 1998, my
intention was to be autonomous. Autonomy was described as each Grand
Chapter operating its chapter under the rules and regulation of the
Grand Lodge of its state, without outside voice or vote in it state.
Autonomy was purposely included into the founding bylaws to prevent
those who would want to rule regionally, nationally, or
internationally, over the Widows Sons from ruling over anything
outside their state, whether they call themselves by regional,
national or international titles.
Autonomy was also intentionally included into the founding bylaws to
prevent any kind of regional, national or international officers in
the Widows Sons, whether they were elected by a small percentage to
cover a small region, or self-appointing by themselves, or hand
picked by someone attempting to act as a spokesman for the Widows
Sons. There are no spokesmen for the entity of the Widows Sons.
Anything more than state by state governing only creates politics,
competition and division amongst the craft. These problems are
caused by those who feel the need to be “in charge,” and will “do
what it takes” to be in charge rather than creating harmony.
Autonomy was purposely included into the founding bylaws so that
each Grand Chapter would have ultimate authority over its
operations. Autonomy was fully intended to prevent any Grand
Chapter from having to follow any type of chain of command, voices,
forces, influences or demands from anyone outside its jurisdiction.
Nobody from outside the state was intended to have any voice in
their affairs. I call this “Locking yourself up inside your state
and not allowing anyone from outside your state to have any voice in
your operations.” The only voice in your
state belongs to you.
Autonomy is not a license to do what ever a Grand Chapter wants just
because they are autonomous and nobody can tell them what to do.
Autonomy was defined in the 6th Founding Landmark as:
ruling and governing their own state business and activities
in accordance with the due boundaries of Freemasonry of their state,
first, then within the due boundaries of these Widows Sons founding
by-laws and founding landmarks of the Widows Sons.
THE FLIPSIDE OF
AUTONOMY
Although the
Grand Chapter is the ultimate authority in its state, autonomy does
not give a Grand Chapter the authority to abuse the power given it
by autonomy. The Grand Chapter is autonomous only when it governs
itself according to the governing structure of its Grand Lodge.
The simple fact that a Grand Chapter is autonomous does not give it
the authority to remove an affiliate chapter without sound reason,
investigation, and proof of improper conduct. Autonomy should never
be used as a weapon or added to a witch hunt. Disagreements are not
improper conduct and provide no sound reason to remove an affiliate
chapter. Negotiation, as masons, is the correct tool to solve
disagreements within a state.
Autonomy protects a Grand Chapter when it is operating under the
rules and guides of its Grand Lodge. If a Grand Chapter does not
follow its Grand Lodges’ laws, the authority of its autonomy is
lost.
When a Grand Chapter is in line with its Grand Lodge, and an
affiliate chapter is rebelling, the Grand Chapter should investigate
and find proof of the cause of the rebellion, and remove the cause,
but the Grand Chapter should not govern itself on assumptions.
Autonomy was never intended to give a Grand Chapter the authority to
set up bylaws that create “Officers for life.” The Widows Sons were
set up as the Grand Lodges are. There are no “Officers for Life” in
Freemasonry, so there should be none in the Widows Sons.
If a Grand Chapter is governing itself in a manner that does not
coincide with its Grand Lodge governing, The Grand Chapter becomes a
rogue chapter.
Recognition of other Grand Chapters comes through autonomy. A Grand
Chapter should only decide recognition of another Grand Chapter. A
Grand Chapter who makes statements to recognize or derecognize an
affiliate chapter from another state is an attempt to have a voice
in the workings of another state. Autonomy only provides within
your state when you are conforming to your Grand Lodge Law.
FIRST RUMOR
TO DISPELL
The rumor:
“Nobody knew how big the Widows Sons would get, so the Widows Sons
does not have a structure to handle something that grew this big.”
This is a good example of a partial truth being spread and used as a
tool to make you believe the structure of our autonomy does not
work. It is a sales pitch and nothing more. Its hope and intention
is to propel a small group, from within our group into prominent
title holders of regional, national or international positions of
authority. They are attempting to create division by an illusion
that our structure is not keeping up with our growth. They are
promoting “Regional Coordinators as their solution. This is the
first step in destroying your autonomy and bringing their new
structure, into a regional, national or international governing body
of the Widows Sons.
Now, lets investigate the true part of the rumor on the Widows Sons
growth. We knew the Widows Sons would grow throughout the U.S. To
promote the growth of the Widows Sons, we uploaded the first Widows
Sons website on Mastermason.com, and introduced the Widows Sons to
freemasonry. To grow the organization was the only reason for a
website. The fact that we put up a website in the earliest days
proves we were trying to grow the Widows Sons, or we would never
have put up a website. When we had a few chapters we put up the
domain at
http://WidowsSons.Com and added a forum
http://international.widowssons.com for
communication among members. Ask yourself, why did we do this if we
didn’t expect it to grow?
So, knowing the Widows Sons would grow, the bylaws were set up for
each oncoming chapter to use as their own so that each state would
operate within the rules and guidelines of its Grand Lodge. In other
words, imitate how their Grand Lodge operates when they became new
chapters.
You, as a Widows Son, especially if you joined the Widows Sons
because you liked what the Widows Sons stand for, should ask your
self, Does this fact dispel any falsehoods created by this year and
a half old rumor? You should also ask yourself what were the
intentions of this small group from within who started and spread
this rumor at the start up of there own International Widows Sons
website and forum. Was this rumor started in order to cause
confusion among the craft or to divide the craft? What was their
purpose of this rumor?
2ND
RUMOR TO DISPELL
“The Widows Sons are being controlled by the original website.”
The Widows Sons
website controls nothing. It was uploaded back in the beginning to
promote the Widows Sons. So far almost every Grand Chapter in
existence has found the Widows Sons through the Official website at
http://widowssons.com
The website was uploaded only for the purpose of making the Widows
Sons known to as many Masons who ride as possible. Forms were added
for those who wish to inquire about becoming chapters of Widows
Sons.
The second Grand Chapter, the Grand Chapter of the Netherlands, came
on about 5 months after the website was uploaded. The website then
brought an Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and a Wisconsin chapter. They
fell because the concept was too new to Freemasonry. Another Indiana
chapter and Ohio chapter popped up and failed again. Then
Connecticut contacted us and we began their process. Then Florida
called and they were working fast to be chartered.
Each of these chapters came through the Official website. I call it
“Official” because it was set up by me as a part of the Widows Sons,
shortly after the founding. The website was attached to the Widows
Sons, in the Widows Sons’ early stages, as the Official website of
the Widows Sons. Nobody complained about the word “Official" on the
website until the copy-cat website was introduced in 2010.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Why do you think this rumor, another, by the same small group from
within, was started and spread? If you check the time line of this
rumor, you will find that it was started and spread shortly after
this small group from within launched their own copy-cat version of
the International Widows Son website and forum.
Also, ask yourself, was this rumor started and spread by his small
group from within the group to confuse the craft into thinking their
new website became an Official website of the Widows Sons in the
year 2010, when the Official Widows Sons website was operating for
14 years already?
Is this copy-cat website and forum a blatant attempt to create
division among the Widows Sons and provide a divide and conquer
arena for those from in this small group from within?
Since this small group from within joined the Widows Sons to support
the goals of the Widows Sons, why do they need to imitate the
official website with a copy-cat version. Was the Official website
the website that handled all the fast growth of the Widows Sons? Do
you think the copy-cat website was uploaded as a tool to change the
path and structure of the Widows Sons from its original structure as
founded and turn the Widows Sons into a MC based national ruling structure?
RUMOR 3
“Carl Davenport has no say in any Widows Sons chapter.”
That is correct, and I am not looking for any. I want the Grand
Chapters to rule and govern their state with equal regularity. Just
like the Grand Lodges do.
This rumor is being twisted to make those unaware of what is really
happening think I am butting into the business of chapters daily.
This small group from within does not like what the Founders site
defines about the founding purpose and how the Widows Sons were
designed to operate. The founding purposes and goals do not fit into
their agenda. So, they claim the founding purposes and intentions
are interfering with the goals of many Grand Chapters.
This only
points out that this small group is not conforming to the principles
of the organization they joined to and promised to support. It
proves they have an agenda different from the agenda of the Widows
Sons organization they joined. Not a single one of this small group from
within was around in those founding days, but they are spreading rumors of how he Widows Sons should operate as if they were there in
the beginning. But they weren’t., so it is their agenda, not the
founding agenda.
Some questions you Can ask yourself:
Has Carl Davenport ever pushed anything on your Grand Chapter? Has
he ever demanded anything from your chapter? Has he ever made any
requests for anything from your chapter other than that you follow
the founding purposes of the Widows Sons?
Those who started, and are spreading this rumor, have a desire to
create Regional Coordinators. They claim these Coordinators will
have no authority. So, then what is their purpose? Are they just
titles? Are they Museum pieces? If you believe that, you are far too
easily led and should study this proposal somewhat deeper.
The temporary Coordinators were removed because they were leaving
chapters they were forming stranded without finishing the chartering
process. There were others who were chartered and left to fend for
them selves without any mentoring about how we should govern
ourselves as Widows Sons.
The temporary coordinators were also attempting to form a national
governing committee. So, the chapters that did not whole heartedly
agree with this concept were dropped in the middle of the process
and never chartered. I was contacted by several of them and helped
them get chartered.
I was told personally during a phone conversation by one of these
temporary coordinators that he was the “go-to” guy for he Widows
Sons. If I needed anything to call him otherwise just sit back and
shut the f#%& up. By the way, the temporary coordinators were
retired from duty the next day.
Ask yourself, Do you need a “go-to” guy in the Widows Sons when
advice or consultation is available from every Grand Chapter that is
chartered? What if your “go-to” guy does not meet your needs and his
agenda is not yours?
RUMOR 4
“The Widows Sons have evolved into what they are today”
This is an outright fantasy by those who are pushing the Widows Sons
to be what they want them to be. KFC has also evolved but its
purposes and goals remain the same today.
What this rumor fails to point out is the fact that a very hard push
was implemented, for at least a year, to steer the Widows Son into
the direction this small group from within desired for it to go.
Since this has not happened in their favour, they are very
disappointed and angry and are spreading other vicious rumors to
change the concept of the founding purpose of the Widows Sons into
the concept they have for the Widows Sons. Ask them to prove
whatever they claim.
When the truth finally shows up, the rumors created and spread by
this small group from within will be dispelled one by one and the
Widows Sons will get a rest from the disharmony and division these
rumors have caused. The Widows Sons will heal and continue to grow
in the direction they were founded to be.
The Widows Son, in spite of the division caused by this small rumor
mill from within, have continued to grow in spite of them. We have
added several new Grand Chapters over the last 9 months and have
several more in progress. All these chapters have been founded in
accordance with the founding concept. Is that against this so called
“evolving” of the Widows Sons? If it is…so mote it be.
There are only a handful of states left who are not chartered.
Ask yourself, Do we need to give titles to a couple of persons to
charter this small handful of unchartered states, when this
authority is already vested in the Grand Chapters who wish to
charter them? I think not.
Also, ask yourself, When a Grand Chapter gives up any of its
responsibilities, does the Grand Chapter give up the authority that
is attached to that responsibility also? If so, then when a person
“titled” as a coordinator is given the Grand Chapter’s
responsibility to charter, doesn’t the authority attached to
chartering become the authority of a coordinator?
That is my issue
here. It is claimed the coordinators will have no authority, but
each responsibility they take has some Grand Chapter authority
attached to it. That is only one item. Do you think the “titled”
persons will take more responsibilities in the future, and will the
authority attached go along with those responsibilities? So, my
question is: Why should the Widows Sons Grand Chapters start giving
away any responsibilities and the authority attached to them? Do
these responsibilities, and the authority attached to them, belong
solely to the Grand Chapters?
RUMOR 5
Carl Davenport, our founder, does not even own a motorcycle.
My bike was featured in the
November 2012 issue of the WSMag. Another rumor, or do you
perfer "lie" dispelled from the small group of rebellion in
the Widows Sons. When someone tries to tell you I don't have a bike
give them this link. Don't believe anything until you verify it. If
you receive a rumor or deragatory email, please forward it with the
header included and I WILL VERIFY WHETHER IT IS TRUTH OR NOT.
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