occupy bohemian grove july 2012

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OCCUPY BOHEMIAN GROVE July 2012 // Monte RIO, CA // FAQ c/o The Occupy Bohemian Grove PDX Committee

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WHY ARE WE OCCUPYING?Because the Occupy Movement is doing exactly what is expected of it – shining a spotlight on rampant hypocrisy & corruption. Because as a movement we cherish transparency & demand our leaders adhere. Because this is clear evidence of clandestine monopoly through 1% brotherhood. Because everything Bohemian Grove represents is in one microcosm all that is inherently wrong about these individuals we've collectively deemed “The 1%”Because when the orders for your son, daughter, brother, husband, spouse, cousin or uncle come to deploy to a foreign country with weapon in hand, it may very well have come from an undocumented “Lakeside Talk” at this place. Because while these people fly the flag of Christianity & exploit the Bible Belt for votes, while they deny gay rights in the name of social conservatism, why they actively try to ban pornography and censor music, they make this hideous exception for themselves.Because a major sector of the worldwide banking structure are secretively, annually & historically camping together as the “Lost Angels” encampment.Because the Cremation of Care -- even when taken into a cartoon vaudeville context -- is still beyond disturbing.Because they're used their wealth & influence to bury this from public view for over 123 years.Because everyone in America must know.Because it's been a long time coming. c/o--The 99%--

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

OCCUPY BOHEMIAN GROVE July 2012 // Monte RIO, CA // FAQc/o The Occupy Bohemian Grove PDX Committee

Page 2: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

MEET THE REAL 1%: The Bohemian Club & Bohemian Grove

OCCUPY BOHEMIAN GROVE // July 2012 // Monte Rio (CA)

What: In solidarity with a number of Occupations, as well as long-running protest group Bohemian Grove Action Network, the call for peaceful protests against The Bohemian Club

this July in Monte Rio (CA) are hereby announced. Since Bohemian Grove is on private land, we respect those legal boundaries. Therefore, this communique only endorses peaceful, non-violent protests on the public land existing outside Bohemian Grove.

Currently the framework is in place for two events – July 14th 2012 & July 21st 2012. Mary Moore of The Bohemian Grove Action Network will be the core coordinator for the July

14th protest involving members of Occupy Santa Rosa & San Francisco.

A group representing Occupy Portland (OR) will be holding a protest against the notorious “Lakeside Talks” on Saturday July 21st. Other events are to be scheduled throughout The

Bohemian Club's Two Week Encampment.

In Portland Oregon, a working group called the “Occupy Bohemian Grove PDX Committee” is assembling this framework. They will be helping to organize the official Occupy PDX protest in Monte Rio on Saturday July 21st. In Portland this group will be staging pickets outside events in their area when prominent Bohemian Club members

appear at speaking engagements that are compensated with public tax-payer funds. They hope other decentralized groups like this will form across the USA as well.

With official Occupy Portland endorsement (through a vote of GA consensus), this working group has sent out the call for any interested Occupy Group to show solidarity under this

decentralized OCCUPY BOHEMIAN GROVE banner by participating in an International Awareness Day on July 14th, 2012. The concept is simply to distribute flyers, hold an informative workshop, or otherwise schedule a march as to spread info on this subject.

The next official meeting will be hosted by Occupy Santa Rosa on Saturday April 14 th at the Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA.

** ...Detailed Info... **

Who are the Bohemian Club? The Bohemian Club are an all male organization whose members have included every Republican President sinc e 1888 as well as Fox News CEO

Rupert Murdoch, Warren Buffet, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Henry Kissinger, Alan Greenspan, John Lehman, Karl Rove, Norman Schwarzkopf & the

Rockefeller Family. Other connected names include high-ranking members of ALEC, NATO, NAFTA, Stratfor, Haliburton, The United Nations, Bilderberg Group, CIA, FBI,

Page 3: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

Secret Service, Federal Reserve & the 9/11 Commission report committee. The list continues to spiral with a laundry list of major players in world politics, big business, the

banking industry & the military industrial complex.

What is Bohemian Grove? The short answer is that Bohemian Grove is a super-exclusive two week encampment/party for the most corrupt of the 1%. Those involved are members of “The Bohemian Club” (nicknamed “Bohos” or “Grovers”). Formed in 1880 as an artists retreat, this 2700 acre campground (dubbed “Bohemian Grove”) exists 75 miles North of San Fransisco. Formed in the late 1800's as an artists retreat, this 2700 acre camp ground was slowly bought out by the 1% & became an annual, clandestine party. From the late

1800's until this very day, every year from mid-July to the beginning of August, these men hold secretive “Lakeside Talks.” This is the cause of concern for us – secret seminars

involving unbelievable concentrations of wealth and power. The goal is not to “shut down” their party, per se – we simply want to shine a spotlight on it.

Disclaimer: The Bohemian Club soon grows exceedingly bizarre once you investigate it, and this is where most people opt out of the conversation. Indeed, there are some fantastical

claims out there, as is why our organizers are assembling a website & FAQ to dispel rumors. Those working on this action DO NOT ENDORSE the occult conspiracy talk

which claims that The Bohemian Club's mascot (a huge owl statue) is some Babylonian or Pagan demigod. This owl statue IS NOT MOLOCH. This IS NOT a satanic cult. This is

why most never look deeper into this subject – lunatic websites often pop up with searches.

The club's mascot is a massive 40 foot stone owl (The “Owl of Bohemia”) and every year on the big first night they have an opening ceremony called “The Cremation of Care.” Taken out of context it looks terrifying & satanic. Even in its proper context it's still

extremely weird & politically damaging. In fact, this is the worst PR nightmare the 1% could ever have.

Contrary to mythology, Bohemian Grove is more of a pseudo-mystical frat-boy kind of thing, on par with Fred Flintstone & the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes. So yes, while it is

true that burning an effigy under a creepy statue while wearing druid hoods has obvious connotations to ancient sacrifice religions, in reality this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to

that sort of thing.

The reality is that this Cremation of Care ceremony originates from the artists collective that created The Grove in the late 1800's. It was basically a thespian group that had a

weeks long, live action, spontaneous role-playing theater camp. “The Cremation of Care” was the hoaky ceremony that kicked off the larger plays & events. These artists actually

went into the woods and made their own reality with a tent city that was cheesy & circus-like and resembled something between Burning Man and the Theatre Bizarre in Detroit.

It was basically the Occupy Monte Rio of the late 1800's, But then the 1% found it. And

Page 4: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

then the Rockefeller/Bush patriarchs took it over. And soon all that was left was the creepy Owl Ceremony and a two-week, full throttle party inside this freakish Republican

Disneyland that is as obvious a target as a glowing, neon moose.

The “Cremation Of Care” ritual: This centerpiece of Bohemian Grove has been infiltrated & filmed by Alex Jones of Infowars & twice by The BBC. To kick-start the two-week party, Bohemian Club members gather around a man made lake in the middle of The

Grove. At the shoreline of this lake is a 40 foot stone owl, which is the mascot. Dubbed “Moloch” by ultra-conspiracy types (but in reality called “The Owl of Bohemia”) this owl

statue is terrifying looking – huge & half covered in moss like some black magic demigod.

While the rest of the club watches from wooden bleachers, about two dozen Grovers march out in druid-like outfits, holding lit torches. They are cloaked in red KKK-like outfits & are

carrying a funeral coffin that is dubbed “care.” Inside this coffin is a skeleton which represents The Bohemian Club's pent up “cares.” Their cares are then placed under this

gigantic owl statue & the show begins. The owl speaks from recording equipment rigged inside the hollow statue & the druids recite a creepy sermon. The druids then set this coffin

on fire with their torches to incarcerate the outside woes of The Clubs public lives.

The Camps: The Grove itself has 118 encampments where the power structure is divvied up by territory. For instance, only USA Presidents & Military Brass are allowed to stay at

the “Owls Nest” encampment. Concentrate on that name for a second & what that implies. I will now continue – Lost Angels (Banking/Defense Contractors/Media); Cave Man (Think Tanks/Oil Companies/Universities/Media); Hill Billies (Big Business/Banking/Politics);

Stowaway (Rockefeller Family/Oil Companies); Isle of Aves (Military/Defense Contractors); Silverado squatters (Big Business/Defense Contractors)...

One Last Thing: Although no one connected to this protest is Anti-LGBT whatsoever, it is important to note that The Bohemian Grove is reputed to have a serious element of

homosexual prostitution. There are a number of legitimate news articles that support this. This is being brought up not for the subject of protest, but that is unavoidable once you look

deeper into this. Therefore, if this angle is presented to the public in any way, we ask activists to be extremely careful when approaching the subject matter. No one wants to give

the wrong impression. If anything, we are pro-liberation and encourage Club members to “be themselves” not just here once every year but also in the public eye. Secondly, this only further highlights the inherent and epic hypocrisy of these “social conservatives” who deny

gay rights and LGBT equality. Get over it guys. Come on.

One Google search & the case laid out will be backed up by a plethora of credible sources. These are the men who really control your country. Please help us make history this July.

Haig PatigianThe Occupy Bohemian Grove PDX Committee // [email protected]

Page 5: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

WHY ARE WE OCCUPYING?Because the Occupy Movement is doing exactly what is expected of it – shining a

spotlight on rampant hypocrisy & corruption.

Because as a movement we cherish transparency & demand our leaders adhere.

Because this is clear evidence of clandestine monopoly through 1% brotherhood.

Because everything Bohemian Grove represents is in one microcosm all that is inherently wrong about these individuals we've collectively deemed “The 1%”

Because when the orders for your son, daughter, brother, husband, spouse, cousin or uncle come to deploy to a foreign country with weapon in hand, it may very

well have come from an undocumented “Lakeside Talk” at this place.

Because while these people fly the flag of Christianity & exploit the Bible Belt for votes, while they deny gay rights in the name of social conservatism, why they

actively try to ban pornography and censor music, they make this hideous exception for themselves.

Because a major sector of the worldwide banking structure are secretively, annually & historically camping together as the “Lost Angels” encampment.

Because the Cremation of Care -- even when taken into a cartoon vaudeville context -- is still beyond disturbing.

Because they're used their wealth & influence to bury this from public view for over 123 years.

Because everyone in America must know.

Because it's been a long time coming.

c/o--The 99%--

Page 6: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

**RESOURCES**

Bohemian Grove Action Network: http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/

Occupy Bohemian Grove: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Bohemian-Grove/296474810366195

Occupy Portland OBG Committee: http://www.facebook.com/groups/268521589847907/ Occupy Santa Rosa: http://www.occupysantarosa.org/

OBG Page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/200796183357896/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/OccupyBHgrove

**INFORMATION**

FAQ: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58711902/Bohemian-Grove-Fact-Sheet

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_grove

Confirmed Members: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bohemian_Club_members

Confirmed Members II: http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/1905b/sfb05a03.htm

The CREMATION OF CARE, infiltrated & subtitled. PLEASE NOTE: The views of Alex Jones (as in The Club as cult members & the Owl as ”Moloch”) are not endorsed by the

organizers of this campaign. However, since this infiltration is historic & Jones is the man who captured it all on film, it still is vital to watch. He speaks early on in the first part but then the

entire ceremony has no other interruption. Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CTVTk3_lttw & Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=IHeP4OGZO0g

**ARTICLES**Infiltration Article c/o Spy Magazine, circa 1988. Journalist Philip Weiss actually lived with

them during encampment: http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/bohos/inside-spymag.html

A Doctoral Dissertation by Peter Martin Phillips (1994): http://library.sonoma.edu/regional/faculty/phillips/bohemianindex.php

Vanity Fair: http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/05/bohemian-grove-guide200905

Vanity Fair II: http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/05/bohemian-grove200905

San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/07/06/MNUU18ICIV.DTL

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Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove by G. William Domhoff, U.C. Santa Cruz: http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/bohemian_grove.html

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/bohemian-grove-where-the-rich-and-powerful-go-to-misbehave/2011/06/15/AGPV1sVH_blog.html

FAIR: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1489 and CURBED: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2011/03/15/bohemian_grove_rich_white_men_lose_right_to_log_for_no

w.php

Newt Gingrich @ The Grove, 1995: http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/20/opinion/liberties-the-loss-of-the-dodo.html?src=pm

Canada Free Press: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/cover071707.htm

1% of the 1% at Bohemian Grove by Don Eichelberger: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/01/18708527.php

**VIDEOS** ANONYMOUS vs. BG 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3_nQdjKVYU

RT (2011): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-tJ2FodsYE

ABC News (1984): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJIHHoLtO-0

CNN (1991): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53fqi-kHMmA

ABC News (1981): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCDs9Vs2iYM

KFTY (1986): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZy10rHQ6g

KFTY (1991): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb-o7rFIFj0

CBS (1984): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5-6mQlZRMI

Invisible Empire (2009): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sejg2d4RpZE

Rational Explanation c/o Mary Moore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWIGlBCv_GI

Occupy BG Video (Origin Unknown): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXvtDktlZes

Journalist Mark Rice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCLQMqsu-qk & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8-AdsAg7tE&feature=related

Page 8: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

**FURTHER READING & LEAKED ITEMS**2006 Lakeside Talks: http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/bohos/lakesidetalks2006.html

Encampments: http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/bohos/camps2008.html

1895 Handbook (Constitution and by-laws of the Bohemian club of San Francisco): http://books.google.com/books?id=oi4KAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_similarbooks

1905 Club Handbook (Constitution, by-laws and rules, officers and committees): http://books.google.com/books?id=PHX5AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover

1960 Club Handbook: http://books.google.com/books?id=1w80AAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_similarbooks

1922 Club Book (Semi-centennial high jinks in the Grove, held in Field Circle on the night of Friday July 28, 1922): http://books.google.com/books?id=OKc_AAAAYAAJ

The Bohemian Jinks: A Treatise (1908): http://books.google.com/books?id=KTBIAAAAIAAJ

LIFE (A Club Play circa 1920): http://books.google.com/books?id=sShDAAAAIAAJ

The Elite Directory For San Francisco & Oakland (1879; pages 175-184): http://books.google.com/books?id=5fUBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA175#v=onepage&q&f=false

Vintage Pictures: http://archive.org/details/OldPicturesOfBohemianGrove

Index of Reportage: http://sonic.net/~kerry/bohemian/

**REACTIONS & COMMENTARY**

Rush Limbaugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2r5eGjYZA0

Bill O’ Reilly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aft5OLJ9x8

Glenn Beck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdhJtGZ-II

Richard Nixon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPb-PN9F2Pc

Bill Clinton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP3cQDitQEU

Sean Hannity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liZFytdd8mQ

Ann Coulter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Fn8yypBgI

Ralph Nader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZMlIo0rQK0

Tom Ridge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3_81O8yewc

David Gergen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHFoUZEjuNM

Page 9: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012

Newt Gingrich: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbLe03HRDKI

John Kerry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Qef8oPmag

Schwarzenegger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX2nSEyJhGQ

** LANDSCAPE **Bohemian Grove 20601 Bohemian Avenue, Monte Rio, CA 95462

Owl Statue (During The Day): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSxTpl0v1Yc

Hillbillies Camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJdOlATPK1M

The Burning Lamp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-tvPdXaBlk

Google Earth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R49krShK594

Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=601&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=bohemian+grove&fb=1&gl=us&hq=bohemian+grove&cid=7107094476584224452

OCCUPY BOHEMIAN GROVE // JULY 2012 MONTE RIO (CA)Bohemian Grove is a 2,700-acre campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in MONTE RIO,

CA, belonging to a private/secretive organization known as The Bohemian Club.

In mid-July each year, Bohemian Grove hosts a two-week, three-weekend encampment of some of the most powerful men in the world. The Bohemian Club's all-male membership includes prominent

government officials (including many former U.S. presidents), business leaders, senior media executives & people of power. Members may invite guests to the Grove although those guests are

subject to a screening procedure. A guest's first glimpse of the Grove typically is during the "Spring Jinks" in June, preceding the main July encampment. After 40 years of membership the men earn "Old

Guard" status, giving them reserved seating at the Grove's daily talks, as well as other perquisites.

The Club motto is "Weaving Spiders Come Not Here," which implies that outside concerns & business deals are to be left outside. When gathered in groups, Bohemians usually adhere to the injunction,

though discussion of business often occurs between pairs of members. Important political & business deals have been developed at The Grove. The Grove is particularly famous for a Manhattan Project

planning meeting that took place there in September 1942, which subsequently led to the atomic bomb. Those attending this meeting, apart from Ernest Lawrence and military officials, included the president

of Harvard and representatives of Standard Oil and General Electric. Grove members take particular pride in this event and often relate the story to new attendees.

The tradition of a summer encampment was established six years after the Bohemian Club was formed in 1872. Henry "Harry" Edwards, a founding father, announced that he was relocating to New York City to further his career. On June 29, 1878, somewhat fewer than 100 Bohemians gathered in the

Redwoods in Marin County near Taylorville (present-day Samuel P. Taylor State Park) for an evening sendoff party in Edwards' honor. Freely flowing liquor and some Japanese lanterns put a glow on the

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festivities, and club members retired at a late hour to the modest comfort of blankets laid on the dense mat of Redwood needles. This festive gathering was repeated the next year without Edwards, and

became the club's yearly encampment. By 1882 the members of the Club camped together at various locations in both Marin & Sonoma County, including present-day Muir Woods and a redwood grove that once stood near Duncans Mills, several miles down the Russian River from the current location.

From 1893 Bohemians rented the current location, and in 1899 purchased it from Melvin Cyrus Meeker who had a successful logging operation in the area. Gradually over the next decades, members of the

Club purchased land surrounding the original location to the perimeter of the basin in which it resides. Not long after the Club's establishment by newspaper journalists, it was commandeered by prominent San Francisco-based businessmen, who provided the financial resources necessary to acquire further

land and facilities at the Grove. However, they still retained the "bohemians” (the artists and musicians) who continued to entertain international members and guests.

The Bohemian Club is a private club; only active members of the Club (known as "Bohos" or "Grovers") and their guests may visit the Grove. These guests have been known to include politicians and notable figures from countries outside the U.S. Particularly during the midsummer encampment, the number of guests is strictly limited due to the small size of the facilities. Nevertheless, up to 2,900

members and guests have been reported as attending some of the annual encampments.

The membership list has included every Republican President and some Democratic U.S. presidents since 1923, many cabinet officials, directors and CEOs of large corporations including major financial institutions. Major military contractors, oil companies, banks (including the Federal Reserve), utilities

(including nuclear power) & national media have high-ranking officials as club members or guests.

SYMBOLISM/RITUALS: Since the founding of the club, the Bohemian Grove's mascot has been an owl, symbolizing knowledge. A 40-foot (12m) hollow owl statue made of concrete over steel supports

stands at the head of the lake in the Grove; this Owl Shrine was designed by sculptor and two-time club president Haig Patigian, and built in the 1920s. Since 1929, the Owl Shrine has served as the backdrop

of the yearly CREMATION OF CARE CEREMONY. The Club's patron saint is John of Nepomuk, who legend says suffered death at the hands of a Bohemian monarch rather than disclose the

confessional secrets of the queen. A large wood carving of St. John in cleric robes with his index finger over his lips stands at the shore of the lake in the Grove, symbolizing the secrecy kept by the Grove's

attendees throughout its long history.

THE CREMATION OF CARE: The Cremation of Care ceremony was first conducted in the Bohemian Grove at the Midsummer encampment in 1881, devised by James F. Bowman with George T. Bromley playing the High Priest. It was originally set up within the plot of the serious "High Jinks"

dramatic performance on the first weekend of the summer encampment, after which the spirit of "Care", slain by the Jinks hero, was solemnly cremated. The ceremony served as a catharsis for pent-up

high spirits, and "to present symbolically the salvation of the trees by the club..." The Cremation of Care was separated from the Grove Play in 1913 and moved to the first night to become "an exorcising of the Demon to ensure the success of the ensuing two weeks." The Grove Play was moved to the last weekend of the encampment. The ceremony takes place in front of the Owl Shrine, a 40-foot (12 m)

hollow owl statue made of concrete over steel supports. The moss- and lichen-covered statue simulates a natural rock formation, yet holds electrical and audio equipment within it. For many years, a

recording of the voice of club member Walter Cronkite was used as the voice of The Owl during the ceremony. Music and pyrotechnics accompany the ritual for dramatic effect. Each year, a Grove Play is performed for one night during the final weekend of the summer encampment. The play is a large-scale

musical theatrical production, written and composed by club members, involving some 300 people,

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including chorus, cast, stage crew and orchestra. The first Grove Play was performed in 1902; during the war years 1943–1945 the stage was dark. In 1975, an observer estimated that the Grove Play cost

between $20,000–30,000, an amount that would be as high as $122,000 in today's dollars

ENCAMPMENTS & COMMITTEES: The main encampment area consists of 160 acres (0.65 km2) of old-growth redwood trees over 1,000 years old, with some trees exceeding 300 feet (90 m) in height.

The primary activities taking place at the Grove are varied and expansive entertainment, such as a grand main stage and a smaller, more intimate stage. Thus, the majority of common facilities are

entertainment venues, interspersed among the giant redwoods. There are also sleeping quarters, or "camps" scattered throughout the grove, of which it is reported there were a total of 118 as of 2007.

These camps, which are frequently patrilineal, are the principal means through which high-level business and political contacts and friendships are formed.

LIST OF ENCAMPMENTS: Hill Billies (Big Business/Banking/Politics/Universities/Media/Texas Business); Mandalay (Big Business/Defense Contractors/Politics/U.S. Presidents); Cave Man (Think

Tanks/Oil Companies/Banking/Defense Contractors/Universities/Media); Stowaway (Rockefeller Family Members/Oil Companies/Banking/Think Tanks); Uplifters (Corporate Executives/Big

Business); Owls Nest (U.S. Presidents/Military/Defense Contractors); Hideaway (Foundations/Military/Defense Contractors); Isle of Aves (Military/Defense Contractors); Lost Angels

(Banking/Defense Contractors/Media); Silverado squatters (Big Business/Defense Contractors); Sempervirens (California-based Corporations); Hillside (Military—Joint Chiefs of Staff); Idlewild

(California-based Corporations)

RECREATION/ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEES: “Grove Stage”: an amphitheater with seating for 2,000 used primarily for the Grove Play production, on the last weekend of the midsummer

encampment. The stage extends up the hillside, and is also home to the second largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. “Field Circle”: a bowl-shaped amphitheater used for the mid-encampment "Low

Jinks" musical comedy, for "Spring Jinks" in early June and for a variety of other performances. “Campfire Circle”: has a campfire pit in the middle of the circle, surrounded by carved redwood log benches. Used for smaller performances in a more intimate setting. “Museum Stage”: a semi-outdoor venue with a covered stage. Lectures and small ensemble performances. “Clubhouse”: designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1903, completed in 1904 on a bluff overlooking the Russian River; a multi-purpose dining, drinking and entertainment building; the site of the Manhattan Project planning

meeting held in 1942.

THE OWL SHRINE & THE LAKE: An artificial lake in the middle of the grove, used for the noon-time concerts and also the venue of the Cremation of Care, that takes place on the first Saturday of the

encampment. It is also the location of the 12:30 p.m. daily "Lakeside Talks." These significant informal talks (many on public policy issues) have been given over the years by entertainers, professors,

astronauts, business leaders, cabinet officers, CIA directors, future presidents and former presidents; these have been the subject of ongoing controversy, as the transcripts of these talks are rarely released

to the public (though have been known to be used for such mundane purposes as reading for the lecturer's graduate students).

PROTESTS/CONTROVERSIES/INFILTRATIONS: With its combination of wealth and power, Bohemian Grove's secrecy has been a target for protest for many years. The Bohemian Grove Action Network of Occidental, California organizes protests and has aided journalists who wish to penetrate

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the secrecy surrounding the encampment. Over the years, individuals have infiltrated the Grove then later published video and claimed accounts of the activities at Bohemian Grove. In the summer of

1989, Spy magazine writer Philip Weiss spent some seven days in the camp posing as a guest, which led to his November 1989 article "Inside Bohemian Grove". On July 15, 2000, controversial filmmaker Alex Jones and his cameraman, Mike Hanson, walked into the Grove. With a hidden camera, Jones and Hanson were able to film the Cremation of Care ceremony. The footage was the centerpiece of Jones' documentary Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove. Jones claimed that the Cremation of Care was an

"ancient Canaanite, Luciferian, Babylon mystery religion ceremony," and that the owl statue was Moloch. The Grove and Jones' investigation were covered by Jon Ronson in Channel 4's four-part

documentary, Secret Rulers of the World. Ronson documented his view of the ritual in his book, Them: Adventures With Extremists. Also filmed for The Order of Death was Jones' return to the entrance of

the Bohemian Grove in 2005 where he filmed a protest organized by the Bohemian Grove Action Network, only to discover a majority of the protesters engaging in an "occult counter-ritual" known as

the Resurrection of Care, a mock counter-ritual against the Cremation of Care. In 2005, Chris Jones (no relation) walked into the Grove when hired as an employee, and videotaped the Owl Shrine in daylight, even venturing inside the hollow statue. He also got footage of effigies, the lakeside, and select camps;

as well as stealing a membership list. Chris Jones was subsequently sentenced to three years in state prison for “lewd act with minors.” Also, on January 19, 2002, 37-year-old Richard McCaslin was arrested after his nighttime infiltration of the Bohemian Grove, where he set several fires. He was

heavily armed and wearing a skull mask and outfit with "Phantom Patriot" written across the chest.

FEMALE MEMBERSHIP: Though no woman has ever been given full membership in the Bohemian Club, the four female honorary members were hostess Margaret Bowman, poet Ina Coolbrith (who served as librarian for the Club), actress Elizabeth Crocker Bowers and writer Sara Jane Lippincott. Since Coolbrith's death in 1928, no other woman was made a member. These honorary members and

other women guests have been allowed into the Bohemian "City Club" building and as daytime guests of the Grove, but not to the upper floors of the City Club nor as guests to the main summer

encampment at the Grove. Annual "Ladies' Jinks" were held at the Club especially for spouses and invited guests. In 1978 the Bohemian Club was charged with a discrimination lawsuit by the California

Department of Fair Employment and Housing over its refusal to hire women employees. In January 1981 Judge Robert Kendall issued a decision supporting the practices of the Club, noting that club members at the Grove "urinate in the open without even the use of rudimentary toilet facilities" and

that the presence of females would alter club members' behavior. On October 17, 1981 the Department of Fair Employment and Housing countered the Kendall ruling by ordering the Club to begin recruiting

and hiring women as employees. In 1986 the Bohemian Club went to the California Supreme Court over the issue, arguing that their freedom of association was being harmed; the Court found against the Club and denied a review in 1987, forcing the Club to begin hiring female workers during the summer

encampment at the Grove in Monte Rio. This ruling became quoted as a legal precedent and was discussed during the 1995-1996 floor debate surrounding California Senate Bill SB 2110 (Maddy), a

proposed bill concerning whether tax-exempt organizations (including fraternal clubs) should be exempt from the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

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CONTACT: [email protected] & [email protected]

Page 13: Occupy Bohemian Grove July 2012