Inveterate huckster and 'problem child'....

Barely 24 hours after the announced start of the Grand Orient of the United States in December, 2007, ONE person leapt forward to identify himself as being a member: Mr. Brad Cofield of California. Within less than a year, Cofield has become such a continuous and overbearing presence relative to Freemasonry on the internet, we've created this separate page about him. During 2006, Mr. Cofield, if our memory serves, received two of the necessary three degrees in regular/recognized Freemasonry when his progress was halted due to a 'conflict'. (It should be noted that this is a particularly unusual step which may happen to one out of a quarter-million applicants!)

From his perspective, he was the victim of a series of events in which he was endeavoring to serve and help. Others, however, had found his actions to be both duplicitous and disingenuous. From the perspective of his lodge, he was not only disruptive and abrasive but they had seen enough of him to know that he shouldn't be allowed to become a Master Mason. This entire narrative was reported by Brad himself in at least one online Forum where some members actually felt bad that such a problem had occurred. Thinking it some kind of monstrous mistake they looked into the matter only to find that Brad's ex-lodge had MORE than sufficient cause to keep him from attaining complete Masonic membership. Since that time, Mr. Cofield has become an internet gadfly, daily posting dozens blog comments, forum messages, and more. Mercurial and frequently obscene, his behavior ranges from self-deprecating to belligerent and obnoxious. Immature and self-obsessed are other terms which have been used in describing him. Brad Cofield is nothing, if not greatly impressed with the many things he can offer the world.

We found it intriguing that a person some 3,000 miles away from where the GOOFUS-claimed lodge supposedly existed had somehow managed to become a member AND RECEIVE A DEGREE/DEGREES - although to be truthful, we would not have found it particularly surprising. Mr. Cofield, after previously having been banned from several online forums, had returned to tout his membership and the great works of this group (formed just day earlier, remember). We found it curious too that NO ONE from this supposedly active group comprised of so many young, technically savvy individuals didn't challenge Mr. Cofield's claims of membership in any way for months. (They're all somehow conveniently 'occupied with other things and don't follow such trivia' is the usual excuse - though they seem to do pretty well at other times. Regardless....)

A Brad update: WOW! We were advised by another Mason to 'Google' Mr. Cofield and what we found was pretty darn scary. Give it a try yourself and you'll see! In addition, one of the various forums changed their rules regarding online behavior (primarily to avoid the type of conflicts Brad was causing) and he had in response, to put it mildly, a total meltdown.

What's particularly sad is that this individual who has attended TWO (only) "real" Masonic Lodge meetings - and the group that he was trying to support really seems to only exist in the mind of its creator. This rant shown above is not at all unlike ones he'd posted about his (former) Lodge brothers who had stopped him from becoming a Master Mason. For Brad, it seems, every bad situation is of someone else's making but this is also a typical behavioral trait of those few who have so easily succumbed to a Pied Piper who recruits for his never-ending metamorphosis of pseudo-Masonic organizations.

Mr. Cofield, at every opportunity, whines that we've misrepresented him here. Why? Because we haven't contacted him. Indeed that's true. We assume that someone's own words can be used to develop a picture of the individual - and if not, what? Here's an example: read through it (not for the faint of heart) and see for yourself why we've come to the conclusions we have. (Post can be viewed live here.)

Is there something else that needs be said to explain that type of language and reaction? Is there something that a telephone call will clarify that suddenly makes it all disappear? Can Mr. Cofield PROVE that he's ever once had a message anywhere threatening his employment? Not bloody likely. (And that post hasn't disappeared even after nine months....) So what HAVE we misrepresented, Brad?

Oh, and we should note that the two examples shown above are, curiously, inconsistent in their representation of health issues, wouldn't you agree? They are, though, yet more examples of bringing up such matters seemingly for convenience sake to excuse or justify (or take the heat off of) other claims. We've discussed that further here.)

A Great Grand Orient of the US candidate - or not....

On March 18, 2008, the since expelled Grand Master of the Grand Orient of the United States, Aaron Peavey, wrote to us (more on that here) saying:

"Brad Cofield never was and is not a member of the GOUSA.  He had contacted us in the past seeking acceptance, but he did not prove to be a suitable member in the end.  The fact is that he was acting like he was some sort of representative of the GOUSA on forums and blogs, but he was never even a member. Also, he was spreading false information and rumors about us and what we were supposed to be doing."

A couple of weeks after that message Aaron was out as Grand Master. The FOUNDER (and holder of all the marbles despite what the sycophants might imagine) on August 20, 2008 publicly wrote of his hopes that Mr. Cofield will become part of their group. See here for that along with other whines that I misrepresented their organization. So what has happened? Are they tickled that Brad could form an organization (on the internet at least) or have they just figured out that a guy with his pugnacity and duplicity would be a super plus to provide both whining and argumentativeness thus obfuscating their real activities. Who knows....???

The honeymoon is over - but is it? (December, 2008)

Apparently Brad has invoked the ire of the GOOFUS Bulletin Board moderator who's tossed him off for - yet again - his inability to control his behavior. But since there's been no proclamation by the REAL leader of their little band, who knows? Brad looks to have a temperament particularly suited for this group. We anticipate big things for his future though his mercurial personality won't bend easily to Mr. Peace's will so....

Growing his own organization

There's more about Brad and his claims here as he posts pretending to be a Freemason but now more often using the moniker of "Magus Masonica" he claims that he's an 'operative Egyptian Mason' - a member of the Masoneria Egipcia del Antiguo Primitivo Rito de Memphis Misraim (M.E.A.R.P.M.M.). He's even created a blog with a header designed to impress everyone but has simply superimposed the name of his group on a picture of the Egyptian Room at the regular/recognized Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, a fact quickly observed by many. It's an unauthorized theft of their graphic for which he is unrepentant.

On 24 August 2008 Brad used his blog to announce the following:

The picture was SO alluring: five attractive women posing in front of a large fireplace. Something, though seemed 'not quite right' and, knowing Mr. Cofield's history of lies and fabrication, we decided to check it out.

Well, sure enough: about 5 minutes on Google and we came to The Coven of the Tangle Pines where that very same picture could be seen. The Coven is a group of women in - no, not Washington State as Brad might have wanted you to believe -  but rather in the State of Tennessee some 2400+ miles (3860+ kilometers) away. Had they suddenly changed and become part of Brad's fantasies? No, of course not. In fact when I e-mailed them to question this supposed affiliation, within less than two hours I had a reply from their Webmistress confirming that they'd never even heard of Mr. Cofield and that they were not part of Freemasonry in any form (irregular or otherwise). She said they would be writing to him to demand that he remove their picture which had been taken during a retreat in 2007 and was quite obviously stolen from their website.

Incidentally, the ladies at the Coven of the Tangled Pines seem very nice and if I travel to Tennessee in the future, I'll be sure to say hello in person!           August, 2009 update on the Coven: see below!

Update: 28 August 2008:

It was inevitable where this was going: more lies.... Immediately after I had contacted the Coven, their Webmistress and their High Priestess posted messages to Brad's blog noting his deceit. What did he do? He deleted their posts and provided the following 'response':

Now SERIOUSLY: who on Mr. Cofield's "staff" would have stored a picture of these ladies on their computer and WHY?? How could they have accidentally uploaded it to his blog? Didn't the staff know who their new Temple High Priest was? Didn't Brad look at it - or provide the picture for the "staff" to use? And why didn't he THEN put up THE RIGHT picture of "Temple High Priest Worshipful Brother Brenda Carnes 94°" as, ostensibly, the picture of those ladies was supposed to be - instead of a picture of a highway? The obvious other question is: since when did Mr. Cofield have a "staff"? The lies just don't quit with this individual.

Perhaps the persecuted Mr. Cofield would care to explain to the world in a blog post just how this 'error' REALLY occurred? Or will he simply continue to whine, asserting that we don't know all the facts because we haven't contacted him?

The Prolific Mr. Cofield

Even after having been banned for a year, he was STILL the third most prolific poster on the California Masonic Golden State Masons site, immediately behind the two Moderators - and that's just ONE example which you can see for yourself on their page near the center close to the bottom. These huge volumes of attention-seeking show in black and white just exactly the type of person who seems compulsively drawn to an organization like the Grand Orient of the United States - and who they, by their founder's own words, look to for up and coming members.

Nevertheless, as we've said on every other page about this group, you are CERTAINLY free to draw your own conclusions and affiliate with whomever your heart desires. You may want to get the 'Brad for Grand Master' bumper stickers now!

One California Mason - a moderator on the Golden State Masons Forum - posted this in response to a Brad post ostensibly wondering about the penalties of the Masonic ritual (but more likely just seeking more attention):

I wonder how many Masonic message boards you have been banned from.

Then I wonder why you continue to subject yourself to such criticism.

Then I wonder why you have this love/hate relationship to Freemasonry.

Then I wonder if you will ever truly come to terms with the amount of destruction you have wrought in trying to justify your Masonic mythology.

Then I wonder what's for dinner.
__________________

Pasted from <http://www.goldenstatemasons.com/forums/showthread.php?t=479>

More Brad - More deceit!

Yes, it never stops. In April-May, 2009, an individual touting some kind of bogus pseudo-Masonic organization once again flooded Masonic newsgroups with, for want of a better word, 'crap'. He was quickly shut down although he reappeared several times in some with new/different identities. It seems clear that this is an individual who really is not someone any normal person should entrust with much of anything and he CERTAINLY seems incapable of being trusted to protect another's personal information or honor, as Masons pledge to each other.

We suspect, though, that he'll be in some position of authority for the so-called Grand Orient of the United States soon.

Meanwhile, we see Brad's fingerprints on yet another internet fantasy under the pseudonym of Raum Sariel: Lodge Napoleon Bonaparte. The site proclaims that "We are guided by our conscious, .... " which is good because it'd be pretty scary to follow someone guided by their unconscious, wouldn't it? Brad has found a new way to shuck and jive claiming that it's SO very difficult to get involved with other Masons that this group will do it on the internet entirely. What's so totally laughable about this whole deal is that he's claiming "You will have access to the most powerful membership web portal that has ever been in the Masonic world. This is no simple calender with email and a Php message board. This includes a full dashboard, access to hundreds of in depth educational files, case studies, power point educational presentations, recorded and streamed precise alchemical and magickal operations." Pretty big claims for somebody who's only bought their domain name for a year, is using Google Groups for their message board and who are hosted by an ISP that brags you can 'build a website in 60 seconds'. Brad has used their template to do just that! 

You should know by now that there are a LOT of scams on the internet and we've documented other 'be a Mason by e-mail' stupidity (click here for one example). And how do we know that this is Brad's work? It doesn't take a genius to follow the sloppy trail right back to him. On the home page, for example, there's this reference in reviewing the source code: src="http://tiptopwebsite.com/photos4/magusmasonica/thegreat.jpg" Magus Masonica.... Now where have we heard THAT before?

You can run, Brad, but your deceit is so blatantly obvious that it's going to get exposed time and time again. Why not just give it up and get a life?

Unintended consequences

We all know that sometimes there are unintended consequences to our actions. For over a year, it seemed as if the ladies of the Coven of the Tangled Pines had simply been 'used' and tossed aside with a lie for an apology. As luck would have it, though, this wasn't the end of the story. In an e-mail I received in August, 2009, a women wrote to ask about possibly joining the Eastern Star. She indicated that she was a Wiccan and had read in several places on the web that the Freemasons were very "Paganistic" and practiced "Pagan rites". As a result, she wondered if the OES might be the same way - and a welcoming place for a practicing Pagan.

I explained that the other sites she'd seen were those of religious intolerants who were simply defaming Freemasonry for their own selfish purposes. She'd also mentioned that she lived in the middle of the "Bible Belt" in Tennessee. With the Order of the Eastern Star ritual portraying Biblical women, it didn't seem as if that organization would be a very good match for her. However, a light went off in my little pea brain: Wicca.... Tennessee.... AHA!!!

On a Thursday, I sent her a link to this page. She immediately made contact with the Coven and had a great telephone conversation with them that night. The following night they met in person and on that Monday, she wrote to say that this connection may have changed her life.

While she won't be joining Eastern Star, that's probably best for both of them. However, she and the Coven may have found a happy match thanks to the boorish and puerile antics of an anti-Mason. There's an old saying that 'Revenge is a dish best savored cold'. While no right-thinking Mason would wish for revenge under any circumstances, my base nature says that this truly is a sweet moment!

Parts of the above were previously included on the page for the GOOFUS group. This separate page created 27 August 2008.
Updated 28 August 2008, 20 December 2008, 20 June 2009 and 17 August 2009.

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