tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post3926494087457667334..comments2023-08-05T10:45:44.491-04:00Comments on Discovering<br><u> The Lost Symbol</u>™: <br>The Blog: George Washington: Traitor to the Revolution?Mark Koltko-Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-42100450581056439372011-08-23T04:55:35.347-04:002011-08-23T04:55:35.347-04:00He is not a traitor he do what is right.He is not a traitor he do what is right.wedding suithttp://www.emensuits.com/search.php?mode=search&substring=tan+suit&including=all&by_title=on&search_in_subcategories=onnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-82239473854333095972009-09-09T18:17:10.458-04:002009-09-09T18:17:10.458-04:00Unless Lapu Marie is Paul Maier he has plagiarized...Unless Lapu Marie is Paul Maier he has plagiarized the book by Hank Hanegraaff and Paul L. Maier "The Da Vinci Code: Fact Or Fiction? : A Critique of the Novel by Dan Brown":<br />http://tinyurl.com/mbwtpx<br />Either way, this makes his described knowledge of the plot, via editing extracts from the manuscript, of The Lost Symbol, a blatant lie, since his posts contain almost verbatim quotes from the above book.<br />E.g. compare his quote:<br />"reason for the American reverses early in the Revolutionary War. Washington, a true and clandestine Tory, was secretly communicating Colonial war plans to the British via Benedict Arnold, Washington’s secret illegitimate son"<br /><br />and the passage from the above URL:<br /><br />"reason for the American reverses early in the Revolutionary War was that Washington, a true but clandestine Tory, was secretly communicating Colonial war plans to the British via Benedict Arnold, Washington’s secret illegitimate son"<br /><br />IDENTICAL except for three words ("was that" instead of a period, and "but" instead of "and")!<br /><br />He cannot plausibly pretend that with the pseudonym, Lapu Marie (an anagram of Paul Maier), he was unaware of the above book that Maier co-wrote and published in 2004.<br /><br />in reply to my accusation on SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 5:34 PM at his blog,<br />Lapu Marie then said...<br />You really have to ask Professor Maier about that. It looks he and Dan Brown have been working together on the plot.<br /><br />SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 5:38 PM<br />As deetective I then said...<br />No, I dont need to ask Maier anything. You need to explain your quotes from his book, and your pretence that they come from a Dan Brown ms. Otherwise, no one is going to believe a word you<br />say, given your ill-chosen pseudonym.deetectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05272439724058578059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-14183285878811459482009-09-09T10:41:56.931-04:002009-09-09T10:41:56.931-04:00Sorry 'Lapu', your game is busted. You can...Sorry 'Lapu', your game is busted. You can stop posting this nonsense now. Just goes to show how many of us had read Paul Maier's book...<br /><br />http://www.thecryptex.com/node/140Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164314383452692355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-79501729267285038732009-09-08T13:29:04.275-04:002009-09-08T13:29:04.275-04:00So what's new? You're five months late! ...So what's new? You're five months late! I said all this back in April when I posted to Publishers Weekly and other outlets. Robert Cooper got his story from me. See my blog: http://heresiesandcults.blogspot.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-2136682432113831902009-08-11T11:19:29.802-04:002009-08-11T11:19:29.802-04:00I'm beginning to suspect that Cooper's &qu...I'm beginning to suspect that Cooper's "source" was actually the Scotsman's original source, a source who refused attribution. The Scotsman could then have got Cooper to agree to talk on the record (after disclosing their unattributable source to Cooper). This could explain why Cooper now cannot disclose the identity of the (Scotsman's) source. The source may have talked only of "secret negotiations with the British" and Cooper elaborated it into treachery by Washington (almost on a par with Benedict Arnold's).deetectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05272439724058578059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-56002509835797266532009-08-11T01:01:54.765-04:002009-08-11T01:01:54.765-04:00I'd just like to point out that Bob is too che...I'd just like to point out that Bob is too cheap to buy his own copy and has reserved one from the library. If that's not perpetuating a Scottish cultural stereotype, I don't know what is.<br /><br />Albert Pike said "Place no trust in borrowers of books."<br /><br />:)Christopher Hodapphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201859873755654395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-66552081940680779772009-08-09T02:07:44.708-04:002009-08-09T02:07:44.708-04:00Dave, should you happen to hear anything further f...Dave, should you happen to hear anything further from The Scotsman, its reporter, or Robert Cooper, please feel free to let us know, if you feel that would be appropriate. I'm sure we'd all be grateful.Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-42317433202129258082009-08-09T01:59:37.958-04:002009-08-09T01:59:37.958-04:00There are really two points at issue here.
First...There are really two points at issue here. <br /><br />First and foremost, I look forward to Bob Cooper's clarification, as I've asked for above. Sure, if this was just his guess, then that would conflict with other parts of the article--but I'm a blogger, not a cop; I just want to know for absolutely sure and clear whether or not Bob Cooper is claiming inside information.<br /><br />Second, as a matter of opinion, I agree that it would be utterly suicidal for Dan Brown to mess with the Washington mythos. That does not mean he would not _do_ it, of course; people make catastrophically bad career or business decisions all the time. (Two words: New Coke.) However, I certainly agree that it would be a phenomenal mistake for Dan Brown to do this--and to what end? In his Langdon novels, Dan Brown is writing theology as fiction; portraying Washington as a traitor does not further that agenda.<br /><br />It is gratifying to have such a conversation going on this blog. Thank you all for participating; please continue to do so.Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-74434361945551127242009-08-08T20:56:32.795-04:002009-08-08T20:56:32.795-04:00I have asked both Robert Cooper and The Scotsman t...I have asked both Robert Cooper and The Scotsman to clarify this story. The Scostman's reporter, Kath Gournay, clearly tells us that Cooper claimed a "reliable source" for a leak of the Lost Symbol plot. Cooper's comment above seems to be saying that he never claimed a reliable source, but was merely engaged in fanciful speculation about the plot. This would make the reporter either inaccurate or inventive.<br /><br />Because George Washington was indeed attended by Freemasons at his death and his burial was according to a Masonic ceremony presided over by the same people, it certainly makes possible the plot device of having the Masons slip something into the lead-lined coffin. <br /><br />But the true tale of Washington's death is so amazing that it almost seems like fiction. I relate it in an appendix to my 2005 book, "Secrets of the Widow's Son." <br /><br />I called the appendix "Death and Resurrection" because this is a theme that runs throughout ancient cultures and carries on into the very heart of modern Freemasonry.<br /><br />Beyond the allegory of death and rebirth, Washington himself entertained a theory of "reanimation." In fact, according to one source, he believed that the story of Jesus involved reanimation. On his own plantation, he witnessed a case of a slave being "brought back to life." And it was a widely held "urban legend" of those days that people sometimes got buried alive. <br /><br />Therefore, as he spoke his final words, Washington told his brother Masons/physicians, "Do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead."<br /><br />In a bizarre development, Dr. William Thornton, otherwise famous as the first architect of the Capitol, arrived a day late, by which time Washington's body had been frozen. Thornton seriously proposed a reanimation using lamb's blood, but Martha Washington wisely declined the plan.David Shugartsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-2858582914373113082009-08-08T20:41:32.117-04:002009-08-08T20:41:32.117-04:00Bob wrote:
"If you told the average US citi...Bob wrote: <br /><br />"If you told the average US citizen that Washington was a traitor, that the founding father of the USA was a liar, cheat and a traitor I think that you can imagine the reaction. It is that kind of reaction that Brown wants."<br /><br />I can't disagree more. He stirred up controversy with The Da Vinci Code, but in that case it was putting out a number of assumptions which resonated with people somewhat - most notably the dispossession of the feminine in modern religious orthodoxy. Even with the alternative religious history, he still didn't "slander" Jesus.<br /><br />Branding Washington a traitor is a whole other kettle of fish, especially if he has no (or hardly any) supporting evidence. That would just get the bulk of 300 million possible readers in the U.S. offside with him. It has no resonance, if anything it dispossesses people of something that is truly a cornerstone (pardon the pun) of their worldview. <br /><br />I guess DB could prove me wrong, but IMO that would be professional suicide.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164314383452692355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-7066258163986231872009-08-08T20:33:56.801-04:002009-08-08T20:33:56.801-04:00As someone who has spent an hour on the phone with...As someone who has spent an hour on the phone with journalists, to see it distilled into 3 completely incorrect lines in a short article, I think it's likely that Bob's thrown out his thoughts, and the journalist has run with it into some 'exclusive leaks' blow-up. <br /><br />However, it would be good to hear his version of what he told the reporter, as a few supposed direct quotes from Bob do suggest he is claiming privileged information (e.g. "Of course I could be the victim of a double bluff").Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164314383452692355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-18775078853289871862009-08-08T13:38:16.909-04:002009-08-08T13:38:16.909-04:00So now it looks like "false leads--that is, d...So now it looks like "false leads--that is, disinformation", being spread by freemasons!<br />unless Bob is falling on his sword to protect the reputation of the press (or some other worthy cause?!).deetectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05272439724058578059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-16251743806978159722009-08-08T10:58:58.345-04:002009-08-08T10:58:58.345-04:00To Bob Cooper: Glad to see you here. I do just wan...To Bob Cooper: Glad to see you here. I do just want to achieve some clarity, though. Do we understand you, then, to be saying the following? To wit: The idea that Dan Brown might be portraying Washington as a traitor to the Revolution was a _guess_ on your part, rather than something from a source who had seen Brown's manuscript?Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-18825664967215416342009-08-08T04:19:02.894-04:002009-08-08T04:19:02.894-04:00Hi everyone, Regarding the comments above. I have ...Hi everyone, Regarding the comments above. I have to confess that I am not really up on Twitter and such stuff - I now wish that I had been! In short the piece in the Scotsman was all mine save a casual exchange with a fellow Freemason at the begining of the year. I come to the conclusion I simply asked the question what would be the most outragous thing Brown could claim about Washington? A criminial? Not pwerful enough. A womaniser? Nothing really sensational about that. An alien? Too extreme. A traitor? Ah... If you told the average US citizen that Washington was a traitor, that the founding father of the USA was a liar, cheat and a traitor I think that you can imagine the reaction. It is that kind of reaction that Brown wants. Outrage = sales. But then, you have to remember that I am an arch cynic and so could be misleading myself! In any event I will read The Lost Symbol as soon as it comes out - I have reserved a copy with my local public library!Bob Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16265139407228314325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-20315927732891011292009-08-07T21:52:46.408-04:002009-08-07T21:52:46.408-04:00maybe it will say that washington was a traitor or...maybe it will say that washington was a traitor or spy during the french and indian war, so he was on the french side?? and spying against the british then?Brett Fosternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-62489582651689002402009-08-07T20:51:26.032-04:002009-08-07T20:51:26.032-04:00Mark,
Given Cooper's statement in the comment...Mark,<br /><br />Given Cooper's statement in the comments on Chris Hodapp's blog, I'm not sure even how much of an "inside source" he has. His clarification talks more about a quick 10 minute call in which he gave his opinion and guesses.<br /><br />I think you are right in your points about the Twitter clues backing up the traitor plot. However, my question is: is Cooper's "source" just basing it on these Twitter clues in the first place?<br /><br />I'd agree with others here, that I would find it very surprising if DB took on the aura of Washington. I can't see Americans reacting well to that at all - he's already got plenty of Christians off-side, he'd have to be a glutton for punishment to take on the population of the United States as well.<br /><br />Unless the plot is about GW being 'set-up' to look like a traitor. Although would DB really copy even more of the plot of National Treasure 2...? ;)Greg Taylorhttp://www.dailygrail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-38404098727066576002009-08-07T17:19:58.765-04:002009-08-07T17:19:58.765-04:00deetective: I'll see you, and I'll raise y...deetective: I'll see you, and I'll raise you.<br /><br />Could it not be that <i><b>false leads--that is, disinformation</b></i>--could be leaked by the Doubleday publicity machine? I mean, what better way to up sales than by creating controversy? <br /><br />All's I'm saying is, a rumor might be from a true source, and yet not be true. <br /><br />Trust no one. (Yes, I'm a big X-Files fan from 'way back.)Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-82343547623175801622009-08-07T17:14:01.320-04:002009-08-07T17:14:01.320-04:00Good point Mark, but I think Brown would prefer al...Good point Mark, but I think Brown would prefer alienating Freemasons rather than every patriotic American (think of the impact on sales). Perhaps Cooper's trusted source is a Freemason who is more upset about portayal of loyalist masons than about Washington's secret negotiations with them.deetectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05272439724058578059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-29989584246288867632009-08-07T16:00:52.287-04:002009-08-07T16:00:52.287-04:00haha, I love small potatoes!
maybe its about ali...haha, I love small potatoes! <br /><br />maybe its about aliens :P like what good old Wayne Herschel is hitting at!! haha. <br /><br />Just over a month to wait now!Brett Fosternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-62347427473231995752009-08-07T15:35:31.697-04:002009-08-07T15:35:31.697-04:00Brett: It may well be the case that what is actual...Brett: It may well be the case that what is actually being leaked is something about Washington as a spymaster, which he certainly was. <br /><br />deetective: You may well be right; it may be the case that the real issue here involves secret negotiations. Then again, this is an author who has no trouble hinting that Jesus was not the real Christ; from that point of view, de-throning Washington as the ultimate Patriot would be small potatoes.Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-89999592754969973612009-08-07T15:07:42.887-04:002009-08-07T15:07:42.887-04:00I doubt that Brown would seek to portray Washingto...I doubt that Brown would seek to portray Washington as a downright "traitor". The plot leak, if true, may just have indicated that Brown posits some secret negotiations between Washington and the British and the receivers of the plot leak have overreacted. A secret negotiation, especially at the end of the Revolutionary War need not be a stain on Washington's character, especially, if, for instance it resulted in King George finally giving up his stubborn resistance to American independence and the cancelling of the final secret British offensive (noted by Franklin June 1782: "besides the orders given to General Carleton, to propose terms of re-union to America, artful emissaries were sent over to go through the country, and stir up the people to call on the congress to accept those terms").deetectivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05272439724058578059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-53730129785161907612009-08-07T15:04:01.815-04:002009-08-07T15:04:01.815-04:00The article for which Brett Foster provides a link...The article for which Brett Foster provides a link--"George Washington, Spymaster Extraordinaire"--is an excellent article by a former CIA officer, published in the February 2000 issue of the <i>Scottish Rite Journal</i>. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning about Washington's role as the first American master of spies. Thank you very much, Brett.Mark Koltko-Riverahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11173090767545559729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902481148614123622.post-49853485718066529522009-08-07T14:28:11.525-04:002009-08-07T14:28:11.525-04:00http://www.srmason-sj.org/council/journal/feb00/po...http://www.srmason-sj.org/council/journal/feb00/poteat.html<br /><br />This could be another way of looking at it. and it is by a 32degree scottish rite mason.Brett Fosternoreply@blogger.com