Devine, James wrote: for what it's worth, that "Tomb" is the building of the Skull & Bones secret society, the most elite of the Yale secret societies, which probably includes both Dubya and his father. It's been linked to the CIA and clearly is a formal organization of the most elite of the "old [White Anglo-Saxon] boys' network" of US business. Allegedly, they promise Bonesmen an annual income of something like 1/2 a million dollars, but never have to shell out money, since they guarantee members good jobs. Maybe Doug Henwood knows this stuff, though he was not a member (as far as I know).
No I wasn't. The only weird group I belonged to at Yale was the Party of the Right. Most of what I know about Bones comes from Alexandra Robbins book Secrets of the Tomb (and it was Jim Craven who put me onto her). I wrote up the book for the Nation's website <http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20021216&s=reading20021203 and interviewed her on my radio show <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html>. I heard Kevin Phillips on the radio. He seemed to think that the early Bush/CIA connection made sense in terms of the evidence. Phillips argued in Post-Conservative America (1986 or so) that the CIA did Nixon in, because the Eastern Establishment never trusted him. Doug Response: There are all sorts of crackpot theories--mostly fronm the ultra-right--about Skull and Bones but there are also some basic facts that one can triangulate from diverse sources and/or from sources inside S and B itself. By the way, John Kerry is a member along with GW so if Kerry winds up with the nomination from the Dems, it will be Bonesman versus Bonesman (which should be interesting since they take an oath never to go against another Bonesman--now Bonesperson since women were let in in 1991--and to favor and support all Bonespersons. Rumor is that S and B are split almost down the middle in terms of supporting Bush or Kerry. S and B was founded in 1832 with money from the opium trade in China by General William Russel and Alphonso Taft. They are clearly the most dangerous, most connected, most ruthless and most secret of any of the secret societies. Another book worth looking at (but be careful of the myths versus the triangulatable facts) is brand new and goes beyond Alexandra's Book (she is from Scroll and Key another and somewhat related secret society at Yale) is called "Fleshing Out Skull and Bones: Investigations into America's Most Powerful Secret Society" edited by Kris Milligan, Trine Day Press, 2003. Their known rituals and dress are definitely Satanic. Close to them, also studied by G. William Domhoff is The Bohemian Grove with extensive cross membership. There are 7 known Bushes in Skull and Bones (more than any other family including Taft) with four of them known in Bohemian Grove. They are made up of mostly white in-bred preppys (from the Puritan families) but they have also brought in a few Jews, Latinos, a Black or two, a few "radicals", now some women (including recently one of the Bush daughters) and even gays. But there is no doubt they are anti-Semites, misogynists, racists, homophobes, elitists, imperialists and just plain scum. Their origins are Masonic/Illuminati with a touch of "right Hegelianism". They have the notion of "managed conflict" based on the notion of Thesis-->Antithesis-->Synthesis-->new Thesis-->... Which is why they include some nominal non-preppys and non-whites (to cover the spread). If you can influence not only the thesis (established order) but also the Antithesis (allowable forms and levels of reaction to the Thesis) you can influence and manage change and the new Synthesis or new Established order. A transcript of one of their secret initiations, the first one ever, can be found at: http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/story.asp?ID=4136 which will reveal how sick these twisted scum are. One of their rituals, called "Connubial Bliss", involves the initiate lying naked in a coffin, jacking off and recounting their sexual histories in such lurid details as to help others get off as well; this is used not only for bonding and control it is also used for potential blackmail material. In this initation case, they are mocking the brutal torture suffered by Abner Louima: "Take that plunger out of my ass..." They are still holding the skull of Geronimo stolen (called "crooking" or "copping") by Prescott Bush and four others from Fort Sill, Oklahoma in May of 1918. Native and other activists (yours truly included) are presently organizing for a massive demonstration outside the Tomb to call for return of all Native remains and artifacts--and we will not leave until they are returned--to be announced soon. Jim C.