In Tor Wot
Jacko has indeed moderated his tone (thankfully) throughout this debate but, you have to admit, it has been mainly due to the 'charged' comments that myself, TM and PW have made.
As he has given ground, so shall I. I have no doubt that he is a consumate professional in his field; however, his early comments were strongly opinionated and a little ill-considered. My own feelings on the press remain.
The media is a far more powerful entity than the Freemasons will ever be. The fact that it is overt, makes it all the more worrying. The tabloids, in particular, know that they hold so much power that they can even risk libel cases in court. It's only money to them, but the damage may have already been done to someone's career.
I know that there are many journalists, and I include Jacko among them, who are serious, professionals who retain some moral balance. However, everyone in the media should be aware of the power, and corresponding reasonsibility, that they have.
As far as the masons go, Jacko is right, we are entrenched in our views. I do hope that others, who are not, may err on the side of caution with regard to this topic. I believe in my freedom of thought and speech. Jacko obviously believes in the same. The danger with the 'registration of Freemasons' is - where will it stop?
I have nothing to fear. Most people who know me know that I am a Freemason. However, to force people to disclose implies that there is something wrong and I don't want to be discriminated against. Especially as I have done nothing wrong!
Our laws still say that we are innocent until proven guilty...don't they?