Pittsburgh Alpha to Omega

The last Bohemian Grove encampment took place in July 2008. Here’s an abridged schedule of events from the club’s program. Who knew the Grovers were so soulful?!

Saturday, July 12
9:15 p.m.—Owl Shrine—Cremation of Care
“Come join us as we raise the battle banners in the name of beauty, truth, peace and fellowship. Oh, Beauty’s Vassals, let us together seek the counsel of the Great Owl of Bohemia so that we may rediscover the wisdom needed to banish Dull Care once again!
‘Hail, Fellowship’s Eternal Flame!’”
[Around 9:30 p.m., V.F. reporter Alex Shoumatoff is apprehended.]

Monday, July 14
9:15 p.m.—Campfire Circle—“Sly Fox”
“Come enjoy an evening of laughter as we reprise this Broadway hit comedy. M*A*S*H creator, Larry Gelbart, provides a laugh around every crooked corner in this witty look at the workings of greed and lust. Come see why our jubilant City Club audiences gave this talented cast a ‘Standing O!’”

Wednesday, July 16
9:15 p.m.—Campfire Circle—“Sam Cooke”
“Sam Cooke was one of the founders of Soul Music with 29 top 40 hits between 1957 and 1965, including ‘You Send Me’, ‘Chain Gang’, and ‘Bring It On Home To Me’. Join some of Bohemia’s most soulful vocal and instrumental talent as we celebrate the music of this legendary singer, songwriter, publisher and producer.”

Thursday, July 17
10:30 a.m.—Museum Talk—“The Role of Nuclear in America’s Energy Choices,” John Grossenbacher, Vice Admiral, USN, Ret., Director, Idaho National Laboratory.

Friday, July 18
12:30 p.m.—Lakeside Talk—“Always Present: The Role of Religion in American Politics,” Hunter Rawlings, Professor of Classics and History, and President Emeritus, Cornell University.
9:15 p.m.—Grove Stage—“The Little Friday Night”
“This is the night that size does matter. Our ‘Little’ show takes over the BIG stage with BIG acts from Bohemia plus some surprise BIG names and that means BIG stars from the BIG time. Don’t miss our show, it’s really, well, BIG!”
[M.C.’d by Christopher Buckley.]

Julian Sancton, “A Guide to the Bohemian Grove” Vanity Fair 4/1/09

On a mission to purchase pig’s feet in the Strip District this afternoon, Jae Ruberto told me of a Vanity Fair article about logging at Bohemian Grove.  Here’s the paragraph with the double elevens.

I am here to investigate reports that the Bohemians have been desecrating their own bower. That nothing is sacred with these guys anymore. Everything is fair game. But how could the Bohemian Club, where California’s forest-preservation movement began, be logging its own land, which includes the largest stand of old-growth redwoods in Sonoma County? That’s what it did quietly from 1984 to 2005—11 million board feet, roughly 11,000 prime redwoods and Douglas firs. I imagine they don’t need the money. It costs $25,000 to join the club and $5,000 a year after that. A 150-foot redwood with a 27-inch D.B.H. (diameter at breast height) fetches only $850 these days, and a similar-size Douglas fir $450. Critics say to sacrifice these jewels for such small change is unconscionable. And for the last three years they have been trying to double the harvest.

Alex Shoumatoff, “Bohemian Tragedy” Vanity Fair 5/09

When Jae related this story to me, I was reminded of the Bush fam’s alleged 2006 purchase of 99,000+ acres in Paraguay (historical home of Christ knows how many Paperclip Nazis, including “José Mengele”) near the Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s own little slice of earthly paradise.  As the owl is well out of the bag at this point with the Grove (thanks, in no small part, to another Grove-crashing Alex), I thought it would make sense for the PTB to flip the trees and move their shindig to Paso de Patria.  Having read Shoumatoff’s article and followed up a bit, though, the Grovers’ agenda no longer seems so clear-cut.  We’ll see what develops, and what can be augured from Dull Care’s ashes, this coming July.

Cuídate.

UPDATE, 6-22-09

Here‘s what happened to the piggies’ piggies, and some germane goofery from Colbert.

Also, I recently found myself leafing through the Vanity Fair with Johnny Depp on the cover and found this:

Trouble in the Grove

I WAS SURPRISED to read that Alex Shoumatoff believes that, because he disclosed to the Bohemian Club his longtime friendship with one of our timber-management plan’s opponents, he did not have a journalistic conflict of interest. Such an association is, of course, a conflict, whether or not disclosed, and his lack of objectivity is evident throughout “Bohemian Tragedy” [May]. Furthermore, Shoumatoff separated himself from journalistic ethics by breaking the law in pursuit of his story when he trespassed at the Bohemian Grove. It is clear that Shoumatoff was more interested in settling a score with the club because of his embarrassing arrest at the Grove than he was in reporting in a balanced fashion.

For the record, our timber-management plan will effectively reduce the potential of a serious wildfire. It prohibits cutting of any old-growth trees, follows sustainable timber practices by restricting harvest levels of trees to well below the growth rate experienced in our forest, and enjoys the support of leading authorities in the fields of forest management and fire prevention as well as that of government agencies charged with the duty of reviewing our plan.

We would have been happy to engage with a reporter from Vanity Fair who did not carry with him the most obvious biases and conflicts of interest. Despite our honest efforts to engage in a constructive dialogue with senior editors, V.F. ultimately rebuffed any and all calls for journalistic objectivity. This resulted in a flawed and unfortunate article. Your readers deserve better. —JAY C. MANCINI, president, Bohemian Club, San Francisco, California

ALEX SHOUMATOFF RESPONDS: We seem to be going in circles on the subject of the Bohemian Grove’s so-called Non-industrial Timber Management Plan. The spin that Mr. Mancini is re-spinning here was dealt with in my piece. His only new claim is that the plan is sustainable. I have yet to see evidence that it is, but I would like nothing more than to be proved wrong. I take exception to Mr. Mancini’s assertions that the article was some kind of a vendetta against the Bohemian Club for my being arrested and that I was influenced by my friendship with Jock Hooper, the logging program’s most outspoken opponent. All Mr. Hooper did was to alert me to the situation. It was my attempt to get the club’s side of the story that brought about my belief that the club’s leadership was trying to hide something. I am proud to have committed, as a result, this little but necessary act of civil disobedience in search of the truth.

“Letters” Vanity Fair 7/09

Props to everyone (yes, even the Phantom Patriot) who has infiltrated the Grove and to anyone considering doing so next month.  Seriously, cuídate!