Reply #293: The well-organized conspiracy, indeed...

[IdesOfOctober]

... amen to the Boston Tea Party and Founder references.

However, it is easy to see why - in the aftermath of the Morgan Affair - the Freemasons' image suffered: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morgan_%28anti-Mason%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

Did you know that the current Pope has even written that it is incompatible for Catholics to belong to the Masons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism_and_Freemasonry#The_current_position_of_the_Catholic_Church

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_for_the_Doctrine_of_the_Faith

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI

So the persecution and misunderstanding - from a pretty powerful quarter - still abounds today.