lucky wilbury
05-03-2004, 11:17 PM
http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose/headlines/news.jhtml?id=1486741
Skull And Bones: Influential Force Or Load Of Hooey?
04.30.2004 8:48 PM EDT
Has The Man got you down? Do you ever feel like the world is dominated by a small group of male Ivy Leaguers who smirk, wear khakis and get promoted while the hard work of the rest of us goes unnoticed and unrewarded? Well, if the two major candidates in this year's election are any indication, you may be right on track.
Skull and Bones. This secret society, which makes its home in a crypt-like structure at Yale University, has long been gossip fodder on campuses, in movies such as "The Skulls" (2000) and in books such as "Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power." This year, Skull and Bones steps out of the shadows and into the national limelight.
For the first time in election history, or at least the history we're permitted to see, both of our major presidential candidates are bona fide Bonesmen, admitted members of one of the nation's oldest and most influential secret societies.
In an August interview with John Kerry, "Meet the Press' " Tim Russert asked, "You [and President George W. Bush] were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does this tell us?" Kerry's response: "Not much, because it's secret."
In February, Russert posed a similar question to the President, who answered, "[Skull and Bones] is so secret, we can't even talk about it."
Are Bush and Kerry's ties to Skull and Bones so inconsequential that we can laugh them off as boyish shenanigans? Or is their continued commitment to the society sufficient to warrant some concern, or at least a closer look?
Yale alumnus and Skull and Bones expert Alexandra Robbins, author of "Secret of the Tombs" and the new book "Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities," firmly believes the latter. She explains that even though members participate in standard fraternity frivolities, such as explicit sexual disclosures and bizarre initiation rituals, the Bonesmen are not a typical collection of keg-tapping, beer-ponging frat guys.
Actually, Skull and Bones isn't a frat at all. Women can be admitted (as of 1991), no alcohol is allowed and the organization is loosely based on the worship of pagan goddess Eulogia. Most importantly, it is secret — so don't tell anyone what you are about to read.
Skull and Bones dates back to 1832, when Yale undergrad William H. Russell modeled the society after a similar one he encountered in Germany. True to their name, Bonesmen are said to have a fine collection of bones. The society is also purported to celebrate a "culture of theft," which has given rise to rumors of grave robbery, stolen Nazi memorabilia and a priceless collection of skulls (including the skull of Apache chief Geronimo, allegedly stolen by George W.'s grandfather Prescott Bush from a cemetery near Fort Sill, Oklahoma).
Bonesmen might dabble in death and the occult, but their real agenda has always been firmly grounded in this world. The same guys who ostensibly filch skulls in Oklahoma work hard to make names for themselves and create external power structures dominated by other Skull and Bones members.
After graduation, many Bonesmen make swift transitions into the political, business or media world with assistance from powerful Bones alumni. This interaction doesn't end with a first job; ultimately these connections can last a lifetime for ambitious Bones members. In addition to a little help from their friends, Bonesmen also enjoy lifelong access to Deer Island, a private haven in the St. Lawrence River where many alumni return for the annual induction of new members. According to Robbins, the movie "The Skulls" captures the mood of a real Skull and Bones party on the island. "New members go to Deer Island and meet with famous alumni: senators, cabinet members, a guy who can get them into Harvard Law," she explained.
Many Bonesmen have used the society to get jobs and garner influence. Others, like Democratic candidate John Kerry, have used it to pick a wife or two. Though Kerry was the first in his family to be tapped, he met his first wife through her twin brother, fellow Bonesman David Thorne. Kerry's current wife, Theresa Heinz Kerry, was previously married to the son of Bones member John Heinz II.
But Bonesmen have taken on much bigger jobs than getting John Kerry a date. A short list of Bonesmen reads like a who's who in government and business. In addition to John Kerry, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush and Prescott Bush, the list includes former Secretary of War Alphonso Taft; his son, former President William Howard Taft; Percy Rockefeller; Time magazine founder Henry Luce; former national security advisor McGeorge Bundy; Federal Express founder Frederick Smith; political commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.; and Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. Ten Bonesmen are also part of the current Bush administration, including Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum, Jr.; Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William H. Donaldson; and General Counsel for the Office of Homeland Security Edward E. McNally.
Conspiracy theorists have tied Skull and Bones to events such as the Bay of Pigs, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Though most of these theories are speculative, the atomic bomb was constructed and deployed under the direction of four Skull and Bones members (Henry L. Stimson, Robert A. Lovett, George Harrison and Artemis Gates).
Should we be scared? The numbers are certainly impressive. For a society that inducts only 15 people per year for a total of about 2,500 members since its inception (800 of whom are alive at any one time), Skull and Bones has placed alumni in a hugely disproportionate number of influential positions.
But take heart in the fact that this "secret" society isn't so secret anymore. When Tim Russert can ask pointed questions of prominent Bonesmen and the Internet fills with accounts of goofy Skull and Bones rituals, the society increasingly leans toward parody rather than power. Even George W.'s daughter seems to think that the Bones are passé: Current Yale senior Barbara Bush recently ended the Bush Bones legacy by declining her "tap" to join the club.
No matter how the election turns out in November, we'll probably be seeing more Bones in Washington. But at least now we know who they are. In the meantime, choose your own ending:
Bush wins in November and replaces entire cabinet with Bonesmen, including Kerry as Secretary of Defense.
Kerry wins, brings on a cabinet flush with Bonesmen who have hooked him up with dates in the past and hires Bush as his speech writer.
In a surprise move, Howard Stern enters the election and pulls off an upset. He later reveals he is Bones class of '71 and publishes a hardback collection of all inductee sexual histories.
For more political news, insight into the 2004 presidential election and information on registering to vote, check out Choose or Lose.
Skull And Bones: Influential Force Or Load Of Hooey?
04.30.2004 8:48 PM EDT
Has The Man got you down? Do you ever feel like the world is dominated by a small group of male Ivy Leaguers who smirk, wear khakis and get promoted while the hard work of the rest of us goes unnoticed and unrewarded? Well, if the two major candidates in this year's election are any indication, you may be right on track.
Skull and Bones. This secret society, which makes its home in a crypt-like structure at Yale University, has long been gossip fodder on campuses, in movies such as "The Skulls" (2000) and in books such as "Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power." This year, Skull and Bones steps out of the shadows and into the national limelight.
For the first time in election history, or at least the history we're permitted to see, both of our major presidential candidates are bona fide Bonesmen, admitted members of one of the nation's oldest and most influential secret societies.
In an August interview with John Kerry, "Meet the Press' " Tim Russert asked, "You [and President George W. Bush] were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does this tell us?" Kerry's response: "Not much, because it's secret."
In February, Russert posed a similar question to the President, who answered, "[Skull and Bones] is so secret, we can't even talk about it."
Are Bush and Kerry's ties to Skull and Bones so inconsequential that we can laugh them off as boyish shenanigans? Or is their continued commitment to the society sufficient to warrant some concern, or at least a closer look?
Yale alumnus and Skull and Bones expert Alexandra Robbins, author of "Secret of the Tombs" and the new book "Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities," firmly believes the latter. She explains that even though members participate in standard fraternity frivolities, such as explicit sexual disclosures and bizarre initiation rituals, the Bonesmen are not a typical collection of keg-tapping, beer-ponging frat guys.
Actually, Skull and Bones isn't a frat at all. Women can be admitted (as of 1991), no alcohol is allowed and the organization is loosely based on the worship of pagan goddess Eulogia. Most importantly, it is secret — so don't tell anyone what you are about to read.
Skull and Bones dates back to 1832, when Yale undergrad William H. Russell modeled the society after a similar one he encountered in Germany. True to their name, Bonesmen are said to have a fine collection of bones. The society is also purported to celebrate a "culture of theft," which has given rise to rumors of grave robbery, stolen Nazi memorabilia and a priceless collection of skulls (including the skull of Apache chief Geronimo, allegedly stolen by George W.'s grandfather Prescott Bush from a cemetery near Fort Sill, Oklahoma).
Bonesmen might dabble in death and the occult, but their real agenda has always been firmly grounded in this world. The same guys who ostensibly filch skulls in Oklahoma work hard to make names for themselves and create external power structures dominated by other Skull and Bones members.
After graduation, many Bonesmen make swift transitions into the political, business or media world with assistance from powerful Bones alumni. This interaction doesn't end with a first job; ultimately these connections can last a lifetime for ambitious Bones members. In addition to a little help from their friends, Bonesmen also enjoy lifelong access to Deer Island, a private haven in the St. Lawrence River where many alumni return for the annual induction of new members. According to Robbins, the movie "The Skulls" captures the mood of a real Skull and Bones party on the island. "New members go to Deer Island and meet with famous alumni: senators, cabinet members, a guy who can get them into Harvard Law," she explained.
Many Bonesmen have used the society to get jobs and garner influence. Others, like Democratic candidate John Kerry, have used it to pick a wife or two. Though Kerry was the first in his family to be tapped, he met his first wife through her twin brother, fellow Bonesman David Thorne. Kerry's current wife, Theresa Heinz Kerry, was previously married to the son of Bones member John Heinz II.
But Bonesmen have taken on much bigger jobs than getting John Kerry a date. A short list of Bonesmen reads like a who's who in government and business. In addition to John Kerry, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush and Prescott Bush, the list includes former Secretary of War Alphonso Taft; his son, former President William Howard Taft; Percy Rockefeller; Time magazine founder Henry Luce; former national security advisor McGeorge Bundy; Federal Express founder Frederick Smith; political commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.; and Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. Ten Bonesmen are also part of the current Bush administration, including Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum, Jr.; Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William H. Donaldson; and General Counsel for the Office of Homeland Security Edward E. McNally.
Conspiracy theorists have tied Skull and Bones to events such as the Bay of Pigs, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Though most of these theories are speculative, the atomic bomb was constructed and deployed under the direction of four Skull and Bones members (Henry L. Stimson, Robert A. Lovett, George Harrison and Artemis Gates).
Should we be scared? The numbers are certainly impressive. For a society that inducts only 15 people per year for a total of about 2,500 members since its inception (800 of whom are alive at any one time), Skull and Bones has placed alumni in a hugely disproportionate number of influential positions.
But take heart in the fact that this "secret" society isn't so secret anymore. When Tim Russert can ask pointed questions of prominent Bonesmen and the Internet fills with accounts of goofy Skull and Bones rituals, the society increasingly leans toward parody rather than power. Even George W.'s daughter seems to think that the Bones are passé: Current Yale senior Barbara Bush recently ended the Bush Bones legacy by declining her "tap" to join the club.
No matter how the election turns out in November, we'll probably be seeing more Bones in Washington. But at least now we know who they are. In the meantime, choose your own ending:
Bush wins in November and replaces entire cabinet with Bonesmen, including Kerry as Secretary of Defense.
Kerry wins, brings on a cabinet flush with Bonesmen who have hooked him up with dates in the past and hires Bush as his speech writer.
In a surprise move, Howard Stern enters the election and pulls off an upset. He later reveals he is Bones class of '71 and publishes a hardback collection of all inductee sexual histories.
For more political news, insight into the 2004 presidential election and information on registering to vote, check out Choose or Lose.