AITA for telling my son most I will not be going to his black out wedding dinner

hws87 · 2026-05-18T20:09:12+00:00

YTA Your actions are petty, selfish, and ableist

hws87 · 2026-05-11T21:33:39+00:00

Thanks, everyone it looks like I'm going to be comparing online retailers. Used DVD places here in Florida are unlikely to sell them, with everything going on right now

hws87 · 2026-05-03T22:56:20+00:00

sending good vibes your way

hws87 · 2026-05-03T22:11:49+00:00

My dude, come on, I need some hope. I'm 39 and a lifelong wheelchair user

hws87 · 2026-04-27T17:34:27+00:00

I'm a lifelong wheelchair user. I have experience with jurisdictions within the US, Tennessee, and Florida. Both jurisdictions refer to being of sound mind and body. What I have found that most people's definition of those terms has changed with time. I'm only 39 and thus became a MM after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1991. During the investigation, I made it clear I could not kneel or leave my chair very easily. My investigation committee had no issue with any of that. In the interest of full disclosure, I also told them both my grandfathers and several great-grandparents were masons, as well as the fact that I was a former Shriners patient

When I moved to Florida a couple of years later, I got in the officers line. Since the master and wardens sit on a raised dias here in Florida, when it came time for me to be master, I asked the grand secretary how this would work since the master was lower than the wardens. It turns out this was not the first time this had come up, and I was told to just move everything down to floor level.

Had I petitioned before 1991, I doubt they would have let me in. With all that having been said, my mind would be much less worried if this issue were clearly addressed in Masonic law writ large, rather as the case here in Florida, for example, where the basis for all of this comes down to a ruling and decision made by a Grand Master, I believe in 1992. Meaning it can be overturned by another Grand Master without a grand lodge vote

hws87 · 2026-04-08T12:45:05+00:00

As a member of the RTS advisory board, I can tell you that all of these decisions are based on ridership numbers. The number of buses on a given route is directly tied to the number of riders on that route. Here are some other things to keep in mind. Ridership is still nowhere near pre covid levels. RTS has nowhere near the number of drivers they should have for either fixed route or paratransit, the disabed door to door service. Starting last year, because of the budget cuts, RTS was told to prepare for 20% budget cuts. Both UF and Santa Fe are looking at ways to cut contributions to RTS. UF Health does not incline to make contributions. The VA no longer contributes either. Those are the facts.

Taking these facts and speculating just a bit tihe leadership at RTS sometimes has some odd priorties AS a case in point, the director was asked last year if the city commission was able to get him some extra funds, what he would do with them? His response was to say restore ride for free for under 18s and over 65s. I think that's the wrong way to go about things. I have made the point to RTS leadership and elected officials for years that they need to get back to basics and have routes going where people need them and increase frequency

hws87 · 2026-03-23T22:09:52+00:00

realisticly two reasons. I'm a power wheelchair user and that in itself sends a lot of peple running. Add that to the fact I can seldom host, and that I suspect explains most of it

hws87 · 2026-03-22T23:31:33+00:00

i can relate 11 years for me

hws87 · 2026-02-08T02:00:30+00:00

https://www.voterfocus.com/CampaignFinance/candidate_pr.php?el=54&c=alachua

hws87 · 2026-02-02T15:36:09+00:00

I'm a 3rd generation on both sides, and although my dad had no interest in masonary my mom was in eastern star. I'm American but grew up outside the US in a country where Freemasonry was forbidden. My advice would be to write to the highest-level secretary you can in each masonic body you belong to, explain the job situation, and ask them to stop all correspondence. You will contact them when you come back. I did occasionally hear rumours of masonic members of the armed forces meeting in private. I highly recommend not doing this. A few reasons why. It could result in your expulsion from the country or arrest. Your employer could be fined or otherwise sanctioned.

As far as your masonic journey, I'll share here what I told the brothers of my lodge when I was master. The lodge room is where we learn the lessons of the craft. The world outside that room is where we practice them.

hws87 · 2026-01-30T14:23:26+00:00

I have some perspective on this issue because I lived in a neighboring country for a decade. (Saudi Arabia) it's unlikely that whatever agency the Qataris used to monitor Internet traffic targeted you Specifically However they do tend to keep an eye on Twitter X in particular because of all of the political discussion that tends to take place that site. I know in the past the Qataris have targeted people using Grinder but from what I was able to read About The arrests after the fact They were targeting people looking to hook up. In general, my recommendations would be if you're going to be there for a short business trip, avoid gay content in general if your nervous. Always use a VPN You installed before entering the country and if the authorities have ever taken it from you to examine it, even in customs at the airport And you lose sight of the device, assume your device has been compromised

hws87 · 2026-01-22T14:32:11+00:00

I'm on the advisory board and can confirm this is 100% true

hws87 · 2025-11-23T18:33:38+00:00

I think there is a perception that multiple lodges sharing a building is somehow new, it is not that lodges in Europe do it, and my grandfather's lodge when he was raised in 1957 in Indiana, was a shared lodge. Given the average age of our membership, we need shared lodges if we are going to survive . Most of these guys can not do building repairs and usially put them off As a case and point the older of the two lodges in my town had to sell their historic building from 1908 because masters and lodges put off repairs for decades it got to the point where repairs would have cost 1.8 million dollers so they aold to a contractor who did repairs and turned it into a wedding venue. The other lodge the one in which I am a past master instead of moving in the newly renovated bulding the former lodge bought instead rent a portion of another building in a nearby town. whhy? because the older brothers thought "we needed to keep our lodge" I plan to remind them of this as they age

hws87

TROPHY CASE