Ladies and gentlemen.....THE REVOLUTION.





Well, not really. But it's still Prince. Somewhere in my house, I have my bootleg cassette from when the album was unavailable....but this isn't about that today.

Last weekend was the cap of the fall kickoff for Scouting America locally. Around 1,200 scouts converged on Merrymount Park in Quincy and partook of all the activities available in the Presidential City. Hikes on the new trails to the Adams homestead and Mausoleum. Trolley tours to the USS Salem and Quincy Quarries. Onsite, all the things you'd associate with a Camporee. Merit badges, demonstrations, musicians, re-enactors, the works.

Did I see or do any of it? Nah. My world was where it always is...in a little headquarters building at the park entrance, working the kitchen with my famed "Silver Beaver Cafe" crew and taking care of the around 150 staffers. It feels like it took all week to recover.

But this was the 3rd weekend of the past 4 that I've been out in the field cooking, as all the major events seem to take place in the first six weeks after school starts up again.

That is only half of my fraternal activities, though. Freemasonry also starts up with the school year, and our first six weeks are something called "Official Visit Season". This is when the District Deputy Grand Master (overseer of a Masonic region) comes out to the Lodges to review paperwork, membership, charters, bylaws, etc. It's all very regimented and ceremonial, and functions more like a social event than anything truly serious. As the highest "enlisted man" in the Lodge, I'm expected to attend as many of them as I can, along with the Senior Officers. The Town of Saugus is a Nexus; three districts intersect in town, and we all know everybody else. It sure makes for busy times.

On this No Kings day though....I have an overarching thought about all of this fellowship.

Both Scouts and Masons have very strict rules about political and religious activities and discussions whilst in uniform. (Hint: NONE). So as a result, we are all forcibly civil with each other. Personally....one of my dearest friends in both Lodge and Scouts plays for the other team. He's not MAGA, but he did support George W. Bush back in the day. Our sons went to summer camp together for many years...and my friend's contribution to society can be summed up by something he said when we first met.

"The only reason we can have a civil conversation about this is because of the uniform we both wear." We both respect that sentiment to this day...whether or not we are in any sort of uniform.

How far from the light, and the principles of civil society, have we fallen!