Yeah, that’s very much an “assumes facts not in evidence” sort of statement. I don’t think you’ve shown they have any real power here much less in other countries.
Ha Ha! The secret SDMB society is already suppressing this information! Let me help:
Why so much freedom? Because everybody does.
Why so much power? Because your imagination is running wild. These organizations are basically laughingstocks or beer clubs. They’re not the illuminati, secretly controlling the halls of power. (Or else they’re very, very good at it.)
Correlation is not causation. Or at least in this case you have the cause backwards. The Skull and Bones attempts to recruit Yale students from wealthy families, politically connected families, or those with notable athletic talent. So if you look at their list of members you see… wealthy men, politically active men, and Olympic athletes. They’re members because they were already on the way to achieving those things; they didn’t achieve those things because they were members.
As for having freedom, I have no idea what you mean. They don’t really seem to have any more freedom than other Frat groups. Maybe bit more because they have alumni who can lean on Yale to hide minor indiscretions, but I wouldn’t consider them more free or powerful than a group like Tau Kappa Epsilon.
It’s not secret societies that you need to worry about; it’s the increased power, financing, and SCOTUS-blessed freedom of corporations and lobbyists that is going to implode our country at some point.
I guess I was just judging them from their members list as having polictcal power, power to vote, power to sway, power to plant seeds to do things their way.
Like someone else said it just a money thing with the Yale connection, but the real question is about why foreign countries don’t allow this freedom to act indepently of the ruling parties will.
Wasn’t there something about benjamin franklin that was due to a naughty society in England?
First of all the name of the group is Skull and Bones. Skull and Crossbones is the thing on the pirate flag. Secondly, wrong college. Obama was undergraduate at Occidental College before transferring to Columbia. Skull and Bones taps Yale undergraduates. Thirdly my guess is that Skull and Bones’ power might extend to knowing the secret phone number to Sally’s Apizza (the true sign of a New Haven VIP).
What do you mean that “foreign countries don’t allow this freedom to act indepently of the ruling parties will.”
All politics in all countries are controlled by those already in power. People in power like to remain there, and they like to cultivate the next generation to continue in the same vein.
In the US, some of the cultivation is in the form of college clubs. It may take other forms in other countries. but it is still there.
While there are lots of freedoms that foreign countries limit, I don’t know how they could limit something like Skull and Bones, which is such a “soft” form of power. I mean, there’s no conspiracy there. People like to work with people they already know, and that applies at any level of power or wealth. If you pass someone with a flat tire, you’re guaranteed to stop and help if it’s your mom. You’ll probably stop for any family member or friend. You’ll be more likely to stop for a casual acquaintance, but you’ll almost certainly drive by if it’s a complete stranger. The same is basically true for anything; acquaintances are more likely to be hired by a CEO, appointed by a President, etc.
Skull and Bones is notable because its members are notable. But there’s no deep conspiracy there.