"He's a brick.. house!"

Widgerson thinks he hit a funny bone, poking fun at Attorney General Van Hollen's Mason uniform. While I admit to being ill-educated on the Masons, in part as a woman who cannot join, I do know they are a group to be taken seriously.

I’ll let you do your own research, as I am clearly no expert nor will I pretend to be (Masons, to me = brick layers). Joking aside, let’s realize that Freemasonry gets a bad rap. Few people understand Masons and therefore, as outsiders, make baseless and shallow judgments causing Masons to defend themselves against a “cult” reputation that is entirely undeserved.

Here is a list of famous Masons, in no particular order:

Earl Warren, Chief Justice (1953-1969) - Grand Master of California 1935 to 1936, Potentate of Aahmes Shrine

George Washington - Past Master, Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Virginia. General, Politician, First American President

Harry S Truman, U.S. President. 33°, Belton Lodge No. 450, Belton, MO, Worshipful Master, Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview, Missouri, Past Grand Master of Missouri, 1940-1941 , Honorary Grand Master of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay, May 18, 1959

Mark Twain, American author. Polar Star Lodge No. 79, A.F.& A.M., St. Louis, Missouri.

William Howard Taft, U.S. President. Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, OH

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President. Holland Lodge No. 8, NY, October 11, 1911, Holland Lodge No. 8., First Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay, April 13, 1934

Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President. Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, NY

Paul Revere, St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston, MA; Grand Master of Massachusetts 1794-97.

James Monroe U.S. President, Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia.

William McKinley, U.S. President. Hiram Lodge No. 21, VA

Andrew Johnson, U.S. President. Greenville Lodge No. 119, TN

John Marshall, Chief Justice (1801-1835), Grand Master of Virginia from 1793-1795

Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (1967-1991), Coal Creek Lodge No. 88, Tulsa, Oklahoma PHA

General Douglas MacArthur 33°, [8] Manila Lodge No. 1, 1936, Philippines

Andrew Jackson, U.S. President. Harmony Lodge No. 1, St. Tammany Lodge No. 1 (A.K.A. Harmony Lodge No. 1), Nashville, Tennessee, Grand Master of Masons of Tennessee, October 7, 1822 until October 4, 1824

Gerald Ford U.S. President, 33°. Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, MI, Initiated September 30, 1949, Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Passed to Fellowcraft April 20, 1951 Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, DC.

Benjamin Franklin, February 1731, St. John's Lodge of Philadelphia; Lodge at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, PA; WM, Loge Les Neuf Sœurs, Paris; Past Grand Master of
Pennsylvania

James A. Garfield, U.S. President. Magnolia Lodge No. 20, OH

Jesse Jackson, Harmony Lodge No. 88, Chicago, IL (PHA)

Robert H. Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (1941-1954)

John Jay, Chief Justice (1789-1795)

It gets longer. The list above is practically a Who’s Who of American Patriots and individuals who by tremendous historical accomplishments and test of character would find themselves amused at the idea of answering to simple-minded comedians. It is not something to mock or make fun of (as John Kerry’s Teletubbies suit might be).

I’m assuming JB doesn’t wear this outfit regularly, and even if he did, he does not need to justify it to someone outside the Mason fraternity. It is a remarkable honor that JB Van Hollen has received, and more importantly, achieved in his young lifetime. Let’s give him a break.