Investigating America's FOE (The Fraternal Order of Eagles)

The recent bout of Church and State seperation issues highlighted by court battles over public art in places like Texas and Kentucky have at root a somewhat hidden commonality worthy of further investigation.

Namely, how did the monuments get there, by whom and when?

The Fraternal Order of Eagles donated the Texas monument in 1961 and gave scores of similar monuments to towns across the United States.

Not all religious displays in contest are as old of course. We know in the case of Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore he put up his own display. It's since been removed despite the arguments that such displays are part of America's heritage.

But what of that heritage? A heritage since... the 70's, 60's, 50's?

Kentucky: The monument had been donated to the state in 1971 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Texas: The monument was donated in 1961 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles for the purpose of promoting youth morality to curb juvenile delinquency.

In fact... America's "deeply rooted" theocratic public heritage dates to the 40's.

...most of the monuments currently subjected to review involve gifts from the Fraternal Order of Eagles made three to four decades ago to hundreds of cities (a recent Reuters article claimed that at least 26 such monuments in 15 states have been moved in recent years under court order or legal threat).

In 1943, a Minnesota juvenile court judge named E. J. Ruegemer hatched a simple plan to save the youth of America, whom he saw as "without any code of conduct or standards by which to govern their actions." Accordingly, the judge concluded that the nation’s juveniles "could benefit from exposure to one of mankind’s earliest codes of conduct, the Ten Commandments." The judge also happened to be the chair of the Youth Guidance Committee of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, a goodwill group formed near the end of the 19th century that today claims as one of its chief accomplishments the advent of Mother’s Day.

Who are these people, the American FOE, that set about to reshape America in the 40's?

Actually, despite the humble claim it was 6 Seattle, Washington theater owners in 1898 that would meet over beer calling themselves "The Order of Good Things," it quickly became pretty much the people that have always run things... "Big squishy liberals."

From inventing Mother's Day, to sponsoring America's first Mother's pension law, to workman's compensation law, to old age pension law to it's most prominent members that became US Presidents they were the authoritarian progressives that "knew best" and rode the Christian socialist inspired people's movement to power and influence.

Of course, by the 50's when progressive humanist measures were in full effect and America's dirt farmers suddenly were middle class, things changed. The majority finally "had something" to protect and given the ugly nature of "democracy" those that "knew best" had to evolve to stay in power. A certain amount of feverish pitch communist paranoia had a little something to do with the spread of "God" in government too, but mostly it was just answering and pandering to the new majority as Eisenhower did with the formerly secular "Pledge of Allegiance." A neo-conservative silent majority, now neo-loud and more liberal with the law, land, government authority, your money, and your life than any actual "liberal" under God ever dreamed.

Though the FOE's mission statement remains to this day quite secular and quite humanist, it's post 50's evolution is not unlike that of America at all.

It's a bunch of God stuff, for better or worse. Whatever. No judgement here. They still know what's best for you and are big squishy liberals, just the the neo-conservative kind now.

But it's good to know where all this public art came from is it not? Our "heritage" that so many "conservtives" are fighting to protect. To remind us all, of course, they know what's best for us no matter what our Founding Father's said or we say otherwise.

Who's we? I don't know. Not them.

I'm in a weird place right now along with most liberals I know. We're like the last conservatives in America. Either you get that or you don't. Not trying to argue.

Hey Im a member and have been since '91. We're just a bunch of guys hanging out and making up secret handshakes to keep the others on their toes!

Oh yea, I know they're huge. Not a bad thing. I'm not skiddish around Masons either or anything like that...

Just opening the floor for discussion/illumination.

They do (or did) appear to be at the center off all these public religious monuments.

I am going to tell you how I call any group that think themselves "good enough" to bring their values and believes and tried to shove them into others because is good for them.

I called them fundamentalist and they are becoming a plague recently thanks to our "born again" Christian president, they are bolder and they are running rampant, and they care less if they step in your civil and constitutional rights, after all Mr. Bush made sure with the Patriot act that everything can be possible with cohesion. and the right laws to protect them.

[edit on 27-2-2005 by marg6043]

Im pround to be a memeber of the F.O.E. and have been since '93 All we do really is sit around and make up secret handshakes just to kee the other members on their toes. I can not recall any time we made a contributation in the form of a monument. We do do help ot our Vet. brothers and sisters, raise money so children can get the proper medical care they otherwise could not afford and above all, we put who we are and what we are on the table. Personally I would be disgusted if some group decided they were "better" than any other. I think everyones goal in life should be to help those who are less fourtunate than we are. Out of about 120 members in our lodge, every single one would give you the shirt off their backs if they knew someone needed it. We are just a group of people trying to make life better for those who are down. Now I can't speak for another chapter but this is how were are. The subject of religon rarely comes up. We do open our meetings and close our meeting with a prayer. Just a thought for those who want to know what we really do. You would lol if you saw some of the antics of our members. They keep me in stiches all the time.

Originally posted by FLYIN HIGH
Im pround to be a memeber of the F.O.E. and have been since '93 All we do really is sit around and make up secret handshakes just to kee the other members on their toes. I can not recall any time we made a contributation in the form of a monument.

You are not a fundamentalist. Right or wear the 10 commandments on your clothes, right?

Then you are ok.

Originally posted by FLYIN HIGH
Hey Im a member and have been since '91. We're just a bunch of guys hanging out and making up secret handshakes to keep the others on their toes!

Originally posted by FLYIN HIGH
Im pround to be a memeber of the F.O.E. and have been since '93 All we do really is sit around and make up secret handshakes just to kee the other members on their toes.

Don't do drugs.

I'm not sure I'm really getting what this discussion is really about.. I am also a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. (Broomfield CO. 3940)
Flyin high pretty much summed up what we about.. people helping people, no religious discussion or anything like that we are all just volunteers in our communities trying to help each other out. (also beer is cheap in our aeries and each aerie is kinda like your extended family!)


Mothers Day was started by the Eagles.
Social Security was started by the Eagles.
Jobs after 40 was started by the Eagles.


Seven presidents were Eagles.

Theodore Roosevelt
Warren Harding
Franklin Roosevelt
Harry Truman
John Kennedy
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan

I can also say I am proud to be an Eagle!

Check out the Fraternal Order of Eagles website for more information.
www.foe.com

P.S. sorry bout the multiple edits. got called away from the computer.

[edit on 27-2-2005 by IgnoranceDenied]

[edit on 27-2-2005 by IgnoranceDenied]

Originally posted by IgnoranceDenied
I'm not sure I'm really getting what this discussion is really about.. I am also a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. (Broomfield CO. 3940)
Flying high pretty much summed up what we about.. people helping people, no religious discussion or anything like that we are all just volunteers in our communities trying to help each other out. (also beer is cheap in the aeries!)

Check out our website
www.foe.com

I should explain then this was more of a (poorly conceived) reference thread than anything. As these court battles keep coming up over religious monuments, rather than reinvent the wheel... I was directing to this outline.

But the responses so far form members certainly do illuminate a suspicion I had reading on the group. They don't appear to give a rat's behind about those monuments now.

It sounds like a nice club, does good things and all that... but it's actions 40 years ago are now tearing America apart and there's not a single mention of concern on the website or even acknowledgement ya'll put those damn things up in the first place.

It's just funny to me if it is just a bunch of guys with no real agenda that like beer and don't even have a "legacy" of rememberance about the communist era effort to "God up" public spaces, that the religious right consider your monuments like Holy Shrines now and are fighting tooth and nail in court now to protect them.

I mean ya'll obviously don't care if they stay or go. You've never even heard of them!

Funny.

Originally posted by IgnoranceDenied
Mothers Day was started by the Eagles.
Social Security was started by the Eagles.
Jobs after 40 was started by the Eagles.

So, we can blame the eagles for Mother's Day and all the other "holidays" that Hallmark etal created?
I just looked at their Milestones, a link supplied by RANT. Looks like Mom, apple pie and flag waving to me. And, supporting a LOT of good causes, right here in this country.

RANT said:

I'm in a weird place right now along with most liberals I know. We're like the last conservatives in America. Either you get that or you don't.

I hear your pain. Being to your right a bit, I am in such a quandary. I see what is going on in this country and I It can't be too much different than the weird place you are in.
And while I don't think most liberals feel as you do, I also don't think most republicans feel as I do.

Originally posted by RANT
It's just funny to me if it is just a bunch of guys with no real agenda that like beer and don't even have a "legacy" of rememberance about the communist era effort to "God up" public spaces, that the religious right consider your monuments like Holy Shrines now and are fighting tooth and nail in court now to protect them.

I mean ya'll obviously don't care if they stay or go. You've never even heard of them!

Funny.

Rant is because before we had other battlers to fight like civil rights movement and equal rights and labor laws.

Now we are just a nation in which we have become too politically correct. We have to find a target and !Alas! let be the monuments and the 10 commandments.

I'm an eagle.(more like a badass pterydactyl really...but I digess) and I know the group I am in helps with vets with cookouts etc...but the only reason I joined is because they have a great pond on their property and you have to be a member to fish there.