Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
were struggling to recruit the seven members needed to open a lodge and were still what was termed a ‘ Triangle ’ — a lodge in formation that only had a few core members . 21 After David Cooksey fell out with Jeff Peace sometime in 2008 , the lodge went its own way , quickly morphing into Vulcan Lodge , where Cooksey continued to be involved as an independent Freemason until his death in 2012 . After the falling out between Cooksey and Peace , Peavy left the lodge to become an erstwhile member of Sirius Lodge , Lodge de Neuf Sœurs and Slifko ’ s Lodge Intrepid . Vulcan Lodge still meets at the time of writing , one member being none other than 1613 Nation founder Brad Cofield . 22
Benjamin Franklin Lodge No . 10 was based in Washington DC , with David Tamayo being the Worshipful Master before they parted ways with GOU- SA . Tamayo , who had first approached Brother Francois Mefort , member of Lafayette Lodge no . 89 , after resigning from his regular lodge in November 2008 , was to become the person most responsible for getting the GOUSA Charter with the GOdF revoked . Alarmed at the way GOUSA had deteriorated to become what Lane Startin ( of Praxis Lodge ) referred to as a cigar smoking Frat Club clique just hanging around in the Halcyon building , Tamayo travelled to Paris and spoke to the Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France himself . Tamayo informed him of recent events , stating how the leaders of GOUSA had admitted to him during a group conference call that they had ‘ given up on the democratic process ’ within the organisation . 23 According to Lane Startin , Praxis lodge knew of the Charter being revoked before the GOUSA hierarchy did , Startin recalling how the brethren of Praxis were amused as GOUSA tried at first to deny it .
Tamayo had been initiated into Kemper Macon-Ware No . 64 , in Falls Church , Virginia , in 1996 . In 2007 , Tamayo lost his Faith , and becoming an atheist , decided to resign from regular Freemasonry the following year . Attracted to the Grand Orient de France with its motto ‘ Absolute Freedom of Conscience ’, Tamayo got in contact with Mefort from Lafayette Lodge , and attended a meeting , which was entirely in French . Mefort then pointed him in the direction of GOUSA , and after a few months of introductions through emails , Tamayo formed the Benjamin Franklin Lodge No . 10 in Washington DC , 24 and within six months , in part due to Tamayo ’ s organisational skills , the lodge gained over thirty active
22 Brad Cofield became involved in a number of online Masonic activities , culminating in his 1613 Nation project that also featured on Ed King ’ s website
www . masonicinfo . com .
23 David Tamayo had recorded the group conference phone call with the Council of the Order on the 1 st of August , 2011 . The meeting included Jeff Peace and Chris Michalek , among others . The democratic process is central within the structure of the GOdF , being an integral part of their philosophy .
24 Benjamin Franklin Lodge was admitted to record and was ‘ authorized to transact its business subject to all Virginia laws ’ on the 29 th of April , 2009 , by the State Corporation Commission , the Commonwealth of Virginia , ID : 0708673-9 , DCN : 09-04-28-0035 .
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